Warning: This plant can trap sheep

A rare South American plant with a fearsome reputation has burst into bloom at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens.

The Puya chilensis is a rarely seen relative of the pineapple, native to the mountains of Chile.

Known as the ‘sheepeating plant’, in its native habitat its ferocious spines have been known to trap sheep, birds and small animals.

Their remains provide the nutrients for the huge plant to survive and bloom.

Because it requires large amounts of energy, Puya requires decades to gain the energy to flower into clusters of bright, usually yellow, blooms and is pollinated by hummingbirds.

So, there was great excitement when Abbotsbury’s Puya showed signs that it was preparing to flower this month. But plant fans keen to see the unusual sight only have a couple of weeks to enjoy the spectacle, depending on the weather.

Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens’ Curator David Pearce said: “The Puya’s highly specific growing requirements make it a rarely seen plant in British cultivation; with it typically only being seen in heated glasshouses. In addition to this, it typically takes more than a decade to flower, making this a much-anticipated blooming.

“We knew it was going to flower because the flower stem began to emerge from the centre of the leaf rosette.

“The inflorescence – the term used for a group of flowers – grew up to 20cm a day until it reached about 3.5 metres tall, when it branched into a resplendent network of flowers with an unusual turquoise form of flowering.

“This year we had four inflorescences, all emerging from the same clump.”

More information on tickets and opening times at abbotsburytourism.co.uk/gardens