Puya (plant)

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/puya-plant

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Puya
2. What are Puya plants and where do they grow?Puya plants are spiky bromeliads that grow in the high‑altitude Andes Mountains of South America.
3. Why do Puya leaves have sharp spines?The spines protect the plant from animals that might eat it and can help the plant catch water from the air.

Bromeliad: A family of flowering plants, many of which have tough, spiky leaves and grow in tropical or subtropical regions.
K-selected species: Organisms that tend to live long lives, reproduce later in life, and produce fewer offspring with greater investment.
Monocarpic: A plant that flowers and fruits only once during its lifetime, after which it dies.