RARE SOUTH AMERICAN FLOWERS AT BLUE MOUNTAINS BOTANIC GARDEN

For the first time in seven years, a rare and exotic flower has bloomed in the Blue Mountains.

Nestled amid sweeping mountain vistas and more than 40,000 plants, an array of two-metre tall flower spikes have opened their candelabra-like branches to reveal a cluster of bright turquoise blooms at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden.

The exotic Puya flower, colloquially known as ‘sapphire towers’, hail from the mountains of Chile and each plant only blooms once at the end of its seven year life.

Curator Manager of the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Greg Bourke said he was anticipating a great display with around two months’ worth of flowers.

“The flowers here were wild and collected from Chile in the late 1980s by our botanists. Given they only flower once in their seven year life, it takes a lot of good work and good luck to ensure such a striking floral display,” Mr Bourke said.

The Puya display can be seen in the Lower Rock Garden at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden until mid-January 2017.

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