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Pumapampa | Puya raimondii

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WI_pe078.jpg

Elevation: approx. 4200 m asl. These bromeliad rosette plants develop huge inflorescences (in total, the plants can grow up to a height of 15 m) once in their life. After flowering and fruiting they die. Endemic to the high Andes of Peru and a few spots in Bolivia, the species has become rare and endangered. The stand shown in this image contains many dying plants, which have already passed their stage of flowering.