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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Bromeliaceae (Bromeliads) |
| Origin: Chile (South America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Purple |
| Bloomtime: Summer |
| Parentage: (P. coerulea x P. laxa) |
| Height: 3-5 feet |
| Width: Spreading |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Deer Tolerant: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F |
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Puya 'Ed Hummell' - A silver terrestrial bromeliad to 3-4 feet tall, branching low with upright stems holding leaves along the stems topped with 1 foot wide open rosettes of green leaves completely covered in floccose silver hairs and with small sharp brown teeth along the leaf margins. In summer appear 6 to 8 foot tall wand-like inflorescences bearing dark purple, nearly black, flowers emerging from red hairy calyces - more interesting than really showy. Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally to very infrequently. This plant has proven to be fairly hardy, growing in one of the coldest locations in Santa Barbara (called "Frog Hollow") where it weathered temperatures near 20° F during the January 2007 freeze. It is a very attractive addition to the garden. It similar but more narrowly upright than Puya coerulea var. coerulea, looking a bit like a giant Puya laxa. This plant was growing in the Santa Barbara garden of our good friend Jim Prine (1920-2010), a professional animal trainer and plant lover. He had received the plant from Bromeliad specialist Dutch Vandervort who told us the plant was a hybrid between Puya coerulea and P. laxa that he believe was created by the legendary succulent plant breeder Ed (Emerald) Hummel (1903-1979). We have been building stock on this very attractive plant over the years and are finally able to release it in 2016. To our knowledge this plant has never had a cultivar name assigned to it so we felt it fitting to honor Ed Hummell, the man who created this plant as well as so many other interesting succulent hybrids. We also grow the parent plants,
Puya coerulea and Puya laxa.
This description is based on our research and observations made of this plant as it grows in our nursery, in the nursery garden and in other gardens that we have visited. We also try to incorporate comments received from others and appreciate getting feedback of any kind from those who have additional information about this plant, particularly if they disagree with what we have written or if they have additional cultural tips that would aid others in growing Puya 'Ed Hummell'.
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