This King’s Crown Saxifraga longifolia, also known as Altamira herb, grows in the Pyrenees and blooms only once in a lifetime. It typically makes its home in rocky crevices at high elevations between 500 and 2,500 meters. The latin name reflects the phrase break the stone. Flowering occurs from May to August, and the plant dies after a single bloom. It has long been considered dangerous and has been attributed with abortive properties, which led shepherds to use it in cattle births when faced with difficult calvings.
Plant that blooms only once in a lifetime
This King’s Crown blooms just once in a lifetime, creating a striking bouquet of flowers. It can reach a height of up to 80 centimeters. The flowers are notably sticky and attract insects effectively. Yet this spectacular bloom occurs only once at a time, before the plant completes its life cycle.
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This King’s Crown concentrates its energy on flowering, lifting the stem with its blossoms as high as possible. By late summer, when the display fades, the stem may bend and the plant ultimately dies. When the trunk tilts, wind can carry seeds to a new crevice in the rock, allowing new plants to grow if they manage to thrive.
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At the end of its life, the plant drops from the rock and leaves the space ready for new growth to take hold.
King’s crown, the plant is as dangerous as it is beautiful
This plant is notable for its large size and toxicity, and its abortive properties were recorded in ancient times, making it potentially dangerous. In some rural areas it remains in use within veterinary medicine for difficult calvings in cattle.
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This wild and unique plant adds a magical touch to the stones it grows on. In the Pyrenees of Aragon it is known as Coda de Borrega and it never lies on the ground since it thrives only in rock crevices. The growth conditions are so uncertain that it can bloom only once in a lifetime, exhausting all its strength in that moment before dying and leaving seeds for nearby plants to take root.