A rare tropical plant known as Puya Chilensis, nicknamed the “sheep eater” for its sharp-edged leaves, has flowered for the first time in 10 years at Wicor Primary School in Portchester, Hampshire.
The nearly 3-meter (10-foot) tall plant, native to Chile, produced a striking yellow-green flower spike that finally opened on Wednesday. School horticulturalist Louise Moreton called it both exciting and a troubling sign of climate change, pointing to record sunshine, higher temperatures, and 47% less rainfall this year.
In the Andes, the plant is known as a “sheep catcher” because its tough leaves can trap animals, whose remains then provide nutrients. Similar long-delayed blooms have been reported at public gardens in Devon, Leeds, and Surrey.
