By Mark Molloy Thursday 20 Jun 2013 1:28 pm
Farmers in Surrey may be alarmed to hear that a killer sheep-eating plant has come to life in the south-east county.
Excited botanists from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) at Wisley saw the South American Puya chilensis bloom this week.
A native of Chile, the plant has a 10ft (3m) tall flower spike and has opened for the first time since it was planted 15 years ago.
Commonly found in the Andes, it uses its curved thorns to trap sheep and other animals, causing them to slowly starve to death.
‘I’m really pleased that we’ve finally coaxed our Puya chilensis into flower,’ said horticulturalist Cara Smith.
‘We keep it well fed with liquid fertiliser as feeding it on its natural diet might prove a bit problematic.
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