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Bromelia Pinguin
B. pinguin is a large terrestrial herb, usually in colonies. Leaves numerous, in a rosette, much exceeding the inflorescence; sheaths broad, dark brown, densely lepidote; blades linear, long-attenuate at apex, rigid, ca 2 m x 4 cm; margins armed with stout, hooked spines to 10 mm long; apex pungent. Scape stout, 8-15 cm long, white floccose; sterile bracteoles subfoliaceous, the sheaths subinflated, the upper shorter. Inflorescence erect, to ca 30 cm long, white floccose, paniculate, pyramidal, many-flowered; fertile bracteoles like the scape bracteoles, the upper ones entire; bracts subulate, to 2.5 cm long. Flowers pedicellate, white, floccose, 3-6 cm long; sepals erect, narrowly deltate-subulate; petals pink, whitish towards margins and base, to 3 cm long, linear-elliptic, white-tomentose at apex; stamens ca 2 cm long. Capsules ovoid, 3-4 cm long, yellow, verrucose, white-floccose, beaked. Seeds covered with a creamy acid pulp.
At the foot of Mount Scenery a volcano on Saba, near the Caribbean Sea.
Never saw these bloom or fruit before and then suddenly I spotted them. Will try to eat some soon.
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