本集内容

'Otherworldly' plant blooms for first time in decade “神秘” 植物十年来首次开花

文字稿

Towering over all the cacti and succulents in the Arid House, the sapphire tower, as it's known, is an extremely rare gem.

耸立在伯明翰植物园沙漠植物温室中的仙人掌和多肉植物之上，高山普亚凤梨俗称 “蓝宝石塔”，乃植物界的稀世之宝。

But getting to it isn't an easy job.

但要够到它可不容易。

After its sudden growth spurt, it now stands at three and a half metres tall.

在经过一段快速生长后，这棵高山普亚凤梨现在高达3.5米。

Alberto Trinco, Horticulturist
"It takes so long for the plant to gather the energy and be ready to flower, and then to create this masterpiece of a flowering. It's rare and really exciting just to witness it. And it lasts maybe a week or two, and then it's gone and the plant itself dies. It's remarkable."

阿尔贝托·特林科     园艺学家
“高山普亚凤梨需要很长时间才能积蓄足够的能量绽放花朵，呈现出这番鲜花盛开、艳丽如画的景观。这个品种开花实属罕见，所以能亲眼目睹真是令人兴奋。它的花期可能会持续一两周，然后花朵就会凋谢，植物本身也会枯萎死亡。十分神奇。”

Nectar is literally falling out of it, and in its natural habitat, it would have all the pollinators flocking to it.

花蜜都能从花朵中流出来，如果这是在它的原生栖息地，那么闻到花蜜的各种传粉昆虫就都会蜂拥而至。

But there aren't any hummingbirds in Birmingham. So, Alberto has to use a paintbrush to do the job instead.

但伯明翰没有蜂鸟。所以阿尔贝托不得不用画笔来完成人工授粉。

Alberto Trinco, Horticulturist
"It's a very slow growing plant. So, it takes years to get to the final stage."

阿尔贝托·特林科     园艺学家
“这是一种生长非常缓慢的植物。需要数年时间才能到达生命最终的花期。”

Word has spread, and visitors have been making a beeline to see it, but they won't have very long.

这棵植物开花的消息已经传开，游客们纷纷赶来植物园赏花，但由于开花时间不长，赏花期有限。

Phil Mackie, BBC reporter
"So, normally it looks completely lifeless – absolutely dead. Every ten years or so it gets enough energy to flower, and in a couple of months it will completely die back again, and look as lifeless as it did to begin with."

菲尔·麦基     BBC通讯员
“高山普亚凤梨这种植物平时看起来无精打采，毫无生气。但每隔十年左右，这种植物就能积蓄足够的能量开花，短短几个月后，它就又回到无精打采的状态，像起初一样毫无生命力。”

Once the flowers have faded, it will fruit, and later this year Alberto will collect the seeds.

花谢了后，能结出果实，今年晚些时候，阿尔贝托将收集这个植物的种子。

So, visitors will be able to see the next generation of Puya alpestris in the nursery in the future.

这样游客将来可以在育苗场看到下一代高山普亚凤梨。

Alberto Trinco, Horticulturist
"It's just so unusual and rare to see that. It doesn't matter how many times you see it. It's just great."

阿尔贝托·特林科     园艺学家
“能看到它开花真的非常难得，实属罕见。而且百看不厌，乐此不疲。”