英國罕見“食羊植物”開花

A towering South American plant that is believed to kill animals with its spikes and use their decaying bodies as fertilizer is about to bloom in England.

A rare Puya chilensis was planted at a greenhouse in Surrey about 15 years ago. However, despite its intimidating description, the tall, spiked plant is considered a threatened species.

The Royal Horticultural Society at Wisley has been feeding the plant a diet of liquid fertilizer. “In its natural habitat in the Andes it uses its razor sharp spines to snare and trap sheep and other animals, which slowly starve to death and decay at the base of the plant, providing it with the grizzly equivalent of a bag of fertiliser,” reads a description on the RHS website, which adds that the plant emits a “gruesome scent.”

But does the plant actually trap and eat sheep? Other sources have simply said it is “believed” that the plant traps small animals with its spikes. After the animals die of starvation, the plant is "believed" to then use their decaying bodies as fertilizer to feed itself.

"I'm really pleased that we've finally coaxed our Puya chilensis into flower," horticulturalist Cara Smith said in a press release on the RHS site.

Regardless of whether it actually traps sheep, the plant does have sharp spikes that can grow up to 12 feet high and 5 feet wide. However, it’s not all death and danger for this plant. Its flowery blooms reportedly provide nectar for bees and birds.

The Puya chilensis blooms annually in its native land of Chile, but this is the first time it has done so after more than a decade of cultivation efforts from the RHS.

"We keep it well fed with liquid fertiliser as feeding it on its natural diet might prove a bit problematic,” Smith said.

"It's growing in the arid section of our glasshouse with its deadly spines well out of reach of both children and sheep alike."據美國雅虎新聞網6月21日報道，日前，英國皇家園藝協會從南美洲引進的“食羊植物”智利普亞菠蘿在該協會位於薩里郡的溫室中生活了15年之後，終於成功開花。

智利普亞菠蘿是一種生活在智利的高大植物，最大能夠長到12英尺（約爲3.66米）高、5英尺（約爲1.52米）寬。它不僅有龐大的體積，而且體表長滿極其鋒利的尖刺，有人說它能夠靠這些尖刺來捕獲羊等動物。“食羊植物”這一稱呼正是來自於這種說法。

皇家園藝協會在其網站上對普亞菠蘿這種令人可怕的特性進行介紹，稱這種植物周身散發着“恐怖的氣息”，“在位於南美安第斯山脈的自然棲息地裏，它體表長有的鋒利尖刺能夠困住羊等動物，這些動物會被活活餓死，並慢慢腐爛，然後成爲它的天然肥料”。

據悉，在“老家”智利，普亞菠蘿每年開花一次，但在引入英國後，這還是它首次開花。

園藝家卡拉·史密斯表示：“我們精心照料它，用液體肥料澆灌……我們把它種植在溫室的乾燥區域，並且要避免孩子們和羊等動物靠近它。”