BEIJING: In the herbarium of the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is a specimen of a leaf from the Queen of the Andes from Peru.
The specimen is considered an important part of joint research on endangered species and increased efforts on biodiversity conservation between China and Peru.
The Queen of the Andes is considered one of the Latin American country’s national treasures.
There are also small populations of the plant near the Peruvian border in Bolivia, mainly inhabiting the Andes Mountains at altitudes ranging from 3,000 to 4,800 meters.
The Queen of the Andes can grow to over 10 meters in height, making it the tallest plant in the Bromeliaceae family, according to Ge Xuejun, a researcher at the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
“It only blooms once in its lifetime, between 40 and 100 years of age, before dying,” said Ge.
Peru is the native land of many endangered and unique plants. The Cinchona tree, the source of the early malaria treatment drug quinine, is engraved on Peru’s coins and coat of arms.
In 2009, Ge and two other Chinese researchers first saw this plant during a field survey. “In the dry and cold Andean highlands, where vegetation is sparse and low, this pineapple stands out prominently, with its widespread distribution like a forest,” Ge said.
They also saw a pineapple that had just died during the survey, with seeds resembling millet, estimated to number in the millions. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
