Ochagavia

Ochagavia is a plant genus in the plant family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae, endemic to central and southern Chile. It comprises four recognized species—Ochagavia andina, Ochagavia carnea, Ochagavia elegans, and Ochagavia litoralis—which inhabit a range of environments from coastal cliffs to montane forests. Species of Ochagavia are caulescent and rosette-forming, with succulent, spiny leaves and simple terminal inflorescences bearing rose-colored flowers. The group exhibits adaptations to xeric habitats, and one species, Ochagavia elegans, is endemic to Robinson Crusoe Island in the Juan Fernández Islands. The genus is named after Silvestre Ochagavía, a Chilean lawyer and minister of education from the 19th century.

== Taxonomy == The genus Ochagavia was first described in 1856 by Rodolfo Amando Philippi and named in honor of Silvestre Ochagavía, who served as Chile's Minister of Education from 1853 to 1854. Ochagavia elegans was the sole species included in the original description and serves as the type species of the genus. A second description by Philippi later that year was published to reach a European readership. The genus Ochagavia also includes the historical synonyms Rhodostachys Philippi (1858), Ruckia Regel (1868), and Placseptalia Espinosa (1947).