Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) is a family of monocot flowering plants of around 3,170 species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics.
Many bromeliads are able to store water in a "tank" formed by their tightly-overlapping leaf bases.
The largest bromeliad is Puya raimondii, which reaches 3–4 m tall in vegetative growth with a flower spike 9–10 m tall.
Bromeliads is one of the more recent plant groups to have emerged.Humans have been using bromeliads for thousands of years. The Incas, Aztecs, Maya and others used them for food, protection, fiber and ceremony, just as they are still used today.
European interest began when Spanish conquistadors returned with pineapple, which became so popular as an exotic food that the image of the pineapple was adapted into European art and sculpture. In 1776, the species Guzmania lingulata was introduced to Europe, causing a sensation among gardeners unfamiliar to such a plant. In 1828, Aechmea fasciata was brought to Europe, followed by Vriesea splendens in 1840. These transplants were successful enough that they are still among the most widely grown bromeliad varieties.
In the 1800s, breeders in Belgium, France and the Netherlands started hybridizing plants for wholesale trade. Many exotic varieties were produced up until World War I, which halted breeding programs and led to the loss of some species. The plants experienced a resurgence of popularity after World War II.
Description
Bromeliads are a varied group of organisms, adapted to a number of climates. Foliage take different shapes, from needle thin to broad and flat, symmetrical to irregular, spiky and soft. The foliage, which usually grows in a rosette, is the most widely patterned and colored of any plant in the world. Leaf colors range from maroon, through shades of green, to gold. Varieties may have leaves with red, yellow, white and cream variegations. Others may be spotted with purple, red, or cream, while others have different colors on the tops and bottoms of the leaves.
The inflorescence produced by bromeliads are also regarded as considerably more diverse than any other plant family. Some flower spikes may reach 10 meters tall while others only measure 2–3 mm across. Upright stalks may be branched or simple with spikes retaining their color from two weeks up to twelve months, depending on species. In some species the flower remains unseen, growing deep in the base of the plants.
Root systems vary according to plant type. Terrestrial bromeliad species have complex root systems that gather water and nutrients while epiphytic bromeliads only grow hard, wiry roots to attach themselves to trees and rocks.
Some bromeliads are faintly scented while others are heavily perfumed. Blooms from the species Tillandsia cyanea resemble the smell of clove spice.
A wide variety of organisms take advantage of the pools of water trapped by bromeliads.
The plants within the Bromeliaceae are able to live in a vast array of environmental conditions due to their many adaptations. Trichomes, in the form of scales or hairs, allow bromeliads to capture water in cloud forests and help to reflect sunlight in desert environments. Some bromeliads have also developed an adaptation known as the tank habit, which involves the bromeliads forming a tightly bound structure with their leaves that helps to capture water and nutrients in the absence of a well-developed root system.
Cultivation Guide
An open cocopeat based mixture with wood shavings is recommended. Rather than watering frequent misting and wetting of cup would be more appropriate. They like moderate temperatures. For home growing filtered sunlight would be the best. Remember that the cultivated varieties originated mostly in humid, cool and wet forests.
In areas where frost and freezing temperatures are common, covering with plastic or cloth may offer some protection.
Some Commonly Cultivated Genera
» Aechmea. Most of the 150 species in this genus are epiphytic, have deep cups to hold water and outstanding foliage all year long. The leaf edges are spined and the inflorescence are spectacular. Aechmea fasciata, is often called the urn or living vase plant because it appears to have provided a vase for its predominately pink inflorescence.
» Ananas. The commercial edible pineapple (Ananas comosus) is a member of this genus. There is a smaller species, Ananas nanus, that is commonly grown as an interior plant.
» Billbergia. Billbergias are tall and urn-shaped with spiny edged leaves. They are usually epiphytic and the foliage is often attractively variegated, banded or mottled. Although short-lived, inflorescence is very colorful.
» Cryptanthus. These plants are small, terrestrial, sometimes stoloniferous with flat, basal, symmetrically arranged, variously colored mottled or stripped leaves. They are grown mainly as foliage plants but their tiny white flowers, emerging low in the cups, are very attractive. Plants of this genus are commonly referred to as “earth stars” because their leaves grow low and parallel to the ground in a star-like arrangement.
» Guzmania. Bromeliads in this genus have thin, glossy, strap-like, smooth-edged leaves which form a water-holding rosette. There are thin brown, purple or maroon lines which run parallel along the length of the leaves. Clusters of red, white or yellow flowers appear from behind orange, yellow or red bracts on a terminal spike. They are mostly epiphytic, however, a few are terrestrial.
» Neoregelia. These epiphytic bromeliads develop blue or white flowers just above the water level in the cup. The central portion of the leaves surrounding the flowers turn rosy red. The spiny-edged leaves may also have red spots and markings. Some of the species develop red leaf tips and are often called “painted fingernail.”
» Nidularium. Plants in this genus are often confused with those in the genus Neoregelia. They both have bird’s nest type flower heads; however, Nidularium inflorescence shows the bracts rather distinctly while the inflorescence is buried in the leaf rosette of Neoregelia. These medium-sized, epiphytic plants have broad, flexible, lightly spined leaves that form an open rosette.
» Tillandsia. Plant species vary in size from tiny to large. Some species have leaves that are tough and string-like; others have soft, thin, strap-like leaves. In still others the lower part of the leaf is spoon shaped. Often, the leaves are covered with a gray fuzz or scales. The inflorescence is spectacular in some species consisting usually of blue flowers with brightly colored bracts.
» Vriesea. With more than 200 species this genus is the second largest but most hybridized and cultivated genus in the bromeliad family. These are medium size, mostly epiphytic plants with soft or firm, variously green but often spotted, blotched or distinctly marked leaves. The usually long-lasting inflorescence has yellow, green or white flowers and brightly colored bracts. The inflorescence may be upright like a spear, pendulous or even curved. Plants in this genus are very susceptible to injury from cold temperatures
