Pinuela. Pinguin
Bromelia pinguin

Family: Bromeliaceae

What it is like

Bromelia pinguin is an evergreen Perennial growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 1 m (3ft 3in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Height (m): 1

Where it is found

Common and widely distributed in the lowlands of Guatemala, forming wide and dense thickets on the plains. Rocky hills in the West Indies.

Northern South America - Venezuela north to Central America and the West Indies.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Caribbean, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuna, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Lesser Antilles, Mexico*, Nicaragua, North America, Pacific, Puerto Rico, South America, Suriname, USA, Venezuela, West Indies

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

The fruits are edible but very acid. The fruit is intensely sour and acrid, it is sometimes used for making vinegar. It makes an excellent, refreshing drink. The young shoots at the base of the plant can be eaten raw or cooked. They are much used as food in all the dryer regions of Guatemala. They can be had when ordinary vegetables are scarce or unobtainable, as at the end of the dry season. The inflorescence is fried and eaten. In El Salvador, it is used to make gruel.

Drink: not including plant saps, tea or coffee substitutes.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 2

Much planted for hedges and fences in central America and the West Indies. Other Uses: A fibre obtained from the leaves has been used locally for cordage, ropes etc. Rather weak. It is stripped of its pulp, soaked in water, and beaten with a wooden mallet to yield the fiber.

Fencing: Plants that can be used for fencing.

Fibre: Used for making cloth, rope, paper etc.

Hedge: Plants that can be grown as hedges.

String: Plants that can be used for string or can be easily made into a string. See also Fibre. Plants for ropes may be included.

Agroforestry Services: Living fence: Simply managed rows of shrubs and trees.

Industrial Crop: Fiber: Clothing, rugs, sheets, blankets etc. Currently, almost none of our fiber are produced from perennial crops but could be!

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

Agroforestry Services: Living fence: Simply managed rows of shrubs and trees.

Industrial Crop: Fiber: Clothing, rugs, sheets, blankets etc. Currently, almost none of our fiber are produced from perennial crops but could be!

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

Hedge: Hedge

How it is grown

Succeeds in poorer soils.

Propagating it: Seed

Best place to grow:

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 9-12

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Barbed-wire fence, Corazon de Fuego, Mayam Pinguin, Pinuela, Viru, Wild pineapple

Synonyms

Agallostachys fastuosa (Lindl.) Beer Agallostachys pinguin (L.) Beer Ananas pinguin (L.) Gaertn. Bromelia fastuosa Lindl. Bromelia ignea Beer Bromelia sepiaria Schult. & Schult.f. Karatas pinguin (L.) Mill.