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Turquoise Puya

Philesia magellanica

Philesia magellanica is a seldom-seen jewel from rain forests in southern Chile.  This beautiful shrub is closely related to the legendary Lapageria rosea, which has similar bell-shaped blossoms.  This plant requires cool, moist conditions to thrive, and also a lot of patience, since it is slow-growing.  If you can give it the right conditions, it is a prized collector's plant.  It is almost never seen for sale!

Philesia magellanica

 It tends to form a compact shrub about 3 feet tall and wide, with small, evergreen leaves.  In the wild, it can flower at 4 years old, but in cultivation, it is more like 8 to 10 years.  Once mature, it will bloom almost all year long, making an amazing show plant.  The vivid, pink blossoms are 2 inches long and are accented by golden anthers.  In the wild they're pollinated by hummingbirds.  You can cross-breed it with Lapageria, although only a small percentage of crossed flowers produce viable seeds.

It prefers similar conditions as cool-temperature Orchids.  It's happiest below 75 degrees F (24°C), with nights below about 60°F (16°C).  There are scattered reports of it handling heat fine, but it might not thrive if temperatures consistently rise above the low 80s (28 degrees C), especially if nights are warm.  It can tolerate a few degrees of frost, but it's best to protect it from freezing temperatures, especially the first few years.

Philesia magellanica

This forest plant likes dappled sunlight or morning sun.  Protect it from strong afternoon sun.  It often grows as an epiphyte in the wild, so it appreciates an open, quick draining soil mix that's kept evenly moist.  A typical mix is equal parts of fine bark, peat moss, and coarse sand.  It likes acidic conditions, so don't add lime to the mix.  Over 50% humidity is best, with good air flow.  In the right conditions, it's a long-lived plant.

Photos used with permission of S.F. State University greenhouse

 

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Germination tips for this plant

 

 

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Turquoise Puya

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