[1] The first scientific description of this species was made in 1830 by the French scientist Alcide d'Orbigny after he encountered it in the region of Vacas, Cochabamba, in Bolivia at an altitude of 3,960 m (12,990 ft).

[2] The species name of raimondii commemorates the 19th-century Italian scientist Antonio Raimondi, who immigrated to Peru and made extensive botanical expeditions there.

He encountered this species in the region of Chavín de Huantar and published it as new to science under the name Pourretia gigantea in his 1874 book El Perú.

[1] In the Quechua language it is known variously as titanka, ilakuash, puya, kara, tikatika, santun, qishqi, puwa, t'ikanka, or chukiqayara.

[10] The upper sides of the leaves are green while their undersides are lepidote, covered with small scurfy scales, making it white in color.

[4][12] They are produced over several months starting in May or June and continuing as late as mid-December, though the floral spike will have reached its maximum size by October.

[17] The Queen of the Andes habit of semelparity, reproducing once and dying shortly afterwards, has evolved independently in very distantly related organisms.

Birds as large as the widespread barn owl (Tyto alba) have lost their lives in puyas.

[10] This species seem to be very specialist on site conditions as it prefers to grow in small areas even if the surrounding terrain may seem equally suitable, resulting in a patchy distribution of P. raimondii stands.

[1] The main threats to its survival are: human-caused fires, climate change and a declining genetic diversity.