PUYA CHILINSIS

Not something you'd want to plant in your back yard.

‘SHEEP-EATING’ PLANT BLOSSOMS FOR FIRST TIME: PUYA CHILINSIS GARNERS BUZZ
By Stacy Carey

ecaminer.com
June 22, 2013

A “sheep-eating” plant has bloomed for the first time in the United Kingdom. The plant, formally named Puya chilensis, has the unusual name due to the way it can snare small animals, like sheep, so that they can't get away. Huffington Post shared the details on this unique plant on June 21.

The sheep-eating plant has razor-sharp spines that hook small animals when left in its natural state. The animals cannot get away, so they eventually starve to death and then decompose. The plants are then nourished by the animal decomposition. While the plants' native habitat is in Chile, there is one in the U.K. that has people buzzing.

The blooming exotic plant is at the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden Wisley, and it has been there for 15 years. It has grown to be 10 feet tall, but it had never bloomed until now. The sheep-eating plant is fed via liquid fertilizer at the Garden Wisley, leaving any small nearby animals safe and sound. The plant is also kept in an area that keeps the sharp spines out of the way of children, sheep, and curious explorers.

The Puya chilensis is an intriguing-looking plant, and it's easy to see why it could be referred to as a sheep-eating plant. People have been fascinated with the story on this one, and people had better check out the one bloom it's sprung while they have the opportunity.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is for real! But the plant doesn’t actually eat sheep. From Wikipedia: The plant is believed to be hazardous to sheep and birds which may become entangled in the spines of the leaves. It has been suggested that if the animal dies the plant may gain nutrients as the animal decomposes nearby.