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Turquoise Puya

Cavendishia grandifolia

This is a close look at the amazing Cavendishia grandifolia.  This "holy grail" among plant collectors is found only in the rain forests of Ecuador.  Throughout the year it makes a chorus line of otherworldly blossoms that look like alien candy!  Even without blooms it's an impressive plant, with huge, thick leaves that are super attractive.  This gets to be a pretty large plant, but if you have the space for it, it is easy and vigorous.  It is quite rare and almost never seen for sale.

Cavendishia grandifolia

This blueberry relative makes long, arching shoots that can get over 10 feet long.  You can cut them back to any size you wish, but keep in mind a shoot only flowers once it gets about 4 feet long.  The species name grandifolia refers to the oversized leaves, which are usually about 15 inches long, but can get almost 2 feet on full-sized plants!  Its glossy leaves hang downward to shed rainfall and are surprisingly rigid and durable, almost like plastic! 

The blooms emerge on a 6 to 12 inch stalk near each leaf, with about 20 to 30 flowers per stalk.  The 2 inch blooms are white or greenish-white, and are topped with a pink cap that has a distinctive, zigzagging border.  Most of the blooms are crowned with bright pink bracts to attract hummingbirds.  After flowering, it makes attractive, magenta fruit that turns upward to be more inviting to animals.  Researchers have found they are a "superfruit", with much higher levels of healthy antioxidants than blueberries!  The fruits are lightly sweet and tart.

Cavendishia grandifolia / grandiflora

Cavendishia grandifolia

It grows fine in either cool, intermediate, or warm conditions.  I suspect it won't be happy below 40 degrees F (5°C), and probably won't tolerate more than a light frost.  This rain forest plant enjoys filtered light, and will probably need some protection from strong sun.  It likes growing in a loose, "chunky" soil mix that's slightly acidic.  A typical mix is 1 part orchid bark, 1 part peat moss or coco fiber, and 1 part perlite or coarse sand.  Keep the mix evenly moist.  Over about 40% humidity is best for it.  In the right conditions, it's pretty easy to grow.

 

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Photo #2 courtesy of Ryan Somma

 

 

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