Meet the Queen of the Andes: The Amazing Plant China and Peru are Protecting 🌿

Have you ever heard of a plant that grows taller than a three-story building and blooms only once every 100 years? 🌼 Meet the Queen of the Andes, one of the most incredible plants on Earth!

What Makes the Queen So Special?

The Queen of the Andes is a giant plant that can grow over 10 meters tall—that’s taller than a giraffe! It’s the largest plant in its family, called bromeliads, which also includes pineapples. 🍍

This amazing plant lives high up in the Andes Mountains in Peru, at elevations between 3,000 and 4,800 meters. That’s so high that the air is thin and chilly. ❄️

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Bloom

Here’s something really cool: the Queen of the Andes blooms only once in its lifetime, which can be anywhere from 40 to 100 years long! When it does, it produces millions of tiny seeds before it dies. 🌱

Why Is the Queen in Trouble?

Sadly, this plant is endangered. That means there aren’t many left in the wild. People have been cutting them down for wood or to make room for animals to graze, and the plants don’t have much genetic diversity, which makes it harder for them to survive. 😟

China and Peru Team Up to Help

Scientists from China and Peru decided to work together to save this special plant. Researchers from the South China Botanical Garden in Guangzhou have been studying the Queen of the Andes since 2010. They’ve even collected seeds and studied its genes to understand how to protect it better. 🧪

Liu Lu, a PhD researcher from China, spent over six years studying this Peruvian treasure. In August, her team made big discoveries about the plant’s genes, which will help scientists come up with ways to save it. 🌐

Peruvian researcher Liscely Tumi also worked on the project. She said the experience helped her learn a lot and even made new friends in China. 🤝

Why Is This Important?

Plants like the Queen of the Andes are important because they are part of Earth’s biodiversity—all the different kinds of life that make our planet special. By protecting them, we help keep nature’s balance. 🌍

You Can Help Too!

Even though you might be far away from the Andes Mountains, you can still help by learning about endangered plants and animals and sharing what you know with others. Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll be a scientist helping to save the planet! 🥼

Reference(s):

'Treasure' plant drives China-Peru cooperation to protect biodiversity

cgtn.com