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 and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana.1] It is one of the basal families within the Poales and is unique because it is the only family within the order that has septal nectaries and inferior ovaries.[2] These inferior ovaries characterize the Bromelioideae, a subfamily of the Bromeliaceae.[3] The family includes both epiphytes, such as Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), and terrestrial species, such as the pineapple (Ananas comosus). Many bromeliads are able to store water in a structure
formed by their tightly-overlapping leaf bases. However, the family is diverse enough to include the tank bromeliads, grey-leaved epiphytic Tillandsia species that gather water only from leaf structures called trichomes, and a large number of desert-dwelling succulents.
The largest bromeliad is Puya raimondii, which reaches 3?4 m tall in vegetative growth with a flower spike 9?10 m tall, and the smallest is probably Spanish moss.
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 wor
ld. 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.
An epiphytic bromeliad
Some bromeliads are faintly scented while others are heavily perfumed. Blooms from the species Tillandsia cyanea resemble the smell of clove spice.
One study found 175,000 bromeliads per hectare (2.5 acres) in one forest; that many bromeliads can sequester 50,000 liters (more than 13,000 gallons) of water.[4]
A wide variety of organisms take advantage of the pools of water trapped by bromeliads. A study of 209 plants from the Ecuadorian lowlands identified 11,219 animals, representing more than 300 distinct species, many found only on bromeliads; for instance, some species of ostracods, small salamanders approximately 2.5 centimeters
(1 inch) in length and tree frogs. Jamaican bromeliads are home to Metopaulias depressus, a reddish-brown crab 2 cm (0.75 inch) across, which has evolved social behavior to protect its young from predation by Diceratobasis macrogaster, a species of damselfly whose larvae live in bromeliads. Some bromeliads even form homes for other species of bromeliads.[4]
Plants in the Bromeliaceae are widely represented in their natural c
limates across the Americas. One species
can be found in Africa. They can be found at altitudes from sea level to 4200 meters, from rainforests to deserts. Approximately half the species are epiphytes, some are lithophytes, and some are terrestrial. Accordingly, these plants can be found in the Andean highlands, from northern Chile to Colombia, in the Sechura Desert of coastal Peru, in the cloud forests of Central and South America, in southern United States from southern Virginia to Florida to Texas, and in far southern Arizona.
Bromeliads are one of the more recent plant groups to have emerged. The greatest number of primitive species reside in the Andean highlands of South America where they originated in the tepuis of the Guyana Shield.[5] The most basal genus Brocchinia is endemic to these tepuis and is placed as the sister group to the remaining genera in the
family.[6] The west African species Pitcairnia feliciana is the only bromeliad not endemic to the Americas, and is thought to have reached Africa via long-distance dispersal approximately 12 million years ago.[5]
Adaptations
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.[7] 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.[7] Bromeliads also use crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis to create sugars. This adaptation allows bromeliads in hot or dry climates to open their stomates at night rather than during the day, which prevents them from losing water.[8]
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 th
ey are still among the most widely grown
bromeliad varieties.
In the 19th century, 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. Since then, Dutch, Belgian and North American nurseries have largely expanded bromeliad production.
Only one bromeliad, the pineapple (Ananas comosus), is a commercially important food crop. Bromelain, a common ingredient in meat tenderizer, is extracted from pineapple stems. Many other bromeliads are popular ornamental plants, grown as both garden and houseplants.
Collectors
?douard Andr? was a French collector/explorer whose many discoveries of bromeliads in the Cordilleras of South America would be influential on horticulturists to follow. He was felt to have served as a source of inspiration to 20th century collectors,
in particular Mulford B. Foster and Lyman Smith of the United States and Werner Rauh of Germany.[9]
Some bromeliads are faintly scented while others are heavily perfumed. Blooms from the species Tillandsia cyanea resemble the smell of clove spice.
One study found 175,000 bromeliads per hectare (2.5 acres) in one forest; that many bromeliads can sequester 50,000 liters (more than 13,000 gallons) of water.[4]
A wide variety of organisms take advantage of the pools of water trapped by bromeliads. A study of 209 plants from the Ecuadorian lowlands identified 11,219 animals, representing more than 300 distinct species, many found only on bromeliads; for instance, some species of ostracods, small salamanders approximately 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) in length and tree frogs. Jamaican bromeliads are home to Metopaulias depressus, a reddish-brown crab 2 cm (0.75 inch) across, which has evolved social behavior to protect its young from predation by Diceratobasis macrogaster, a species of damselfly whose larvae live in bromeliads. Some bromeliads even form homes for other species of bromeliads.[4]
Plants in the Bromeliaceae are widely represented in their natural climates across the Americas. One species can be found in Africa. They can be found at altitudes from sea level to 4200 meters, from rainforests to deserts. Approximately half the species are epiphytes, some are lithophytes, and some are terrestrial. Accordingly, these plants can be found in the Andean highlands, from northern Chile to Colombia, in the Sechura Desert of coastal Peru, in the cloud forests of Central and South America, in southern United States from southern Virginia to Florida to Texas, and in far southern Arizona.
Bromeliads are one of the more recent plant groups to have emerged. The greatest number of primitive species
reside in the Andean highlands of South America where they originated in the tepuis of the Guyana
Shield.[5] The most basal genus Brocchinia is endemic to these tepuis and is placed as the sister group to the remaining genera in the family.[6] The west African species Pitcairnia feliciana is the only bromeliad not endemic to the Americas, and is thought to have reached Africa via long-distance dispersal approximately 12 million years ago.[5]
Adaptations
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.[7] 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.[7] Bromeliads also use crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis to create sugars. This adaptation allows bromeliads in hot or dry climates to open their stomates at night rather than during the day, which prevents them from losing water.[8]
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 19th century, 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. Since then, Dutch, Belgian and North American nurseries have largely expanded bromeliad production.
Only one bromeliad, the pineapple (Ananas comosus), is a commercially important food crop. Bromelain, a common ingredient in meat tenderizer, is extracted from pineapple stems. Many other bromeliads are popular ornamental plants, grown as both garden and houseplants.
Collectors
?douard Andr? was a French collector/explorer whose many discoveries of bromeliads in the Cordilleras of South America would be influential on horticulturists to follow. He was felt to have served as a source of inspiration to 20th century collectors, in particular Mulford B. Foster and Lyman Smith of the United States and Werner Rauh of Germany.[9]
^ Mabberley, D.J. (1997). The Plant Book. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
^ Judd, Walter S. Plant systematics a phylogenetic approach. 3rd ed. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc., 2007.
^ Sajo, M. G. "Floral anatomy of Bromeliaceae, with particular reference to the epigyny and septal nectaries in commelinid monocots." Plant Systematics and Evolution 247 (2004): 215-31.
^ ab "Pineapple
Dreams", The Wild Side, Olivia Judson, The New York Times, March 18, 2008
^ ab Givnish, Thomas J., Kendra C. Millam, Timothy M. Evans, Jocelyn C. Hall, J. C. Pires, Paul E. Berry, and Kenneth J. Sytsma. "Ancient vicariance or recent long-distance dispersal? Inferences about phylogeny and South American-African disjunctions in Raptaceae and Bromeliaceae based on ndhf sequence data." International Journal of Plant Science 165.4 (2004): 35-54.
^ Barfuss, Michael H., Rosabelle Samuel, Walter Till, and Todd F. Stuessy. "Phylogenetic relationships in subfamily Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae) based on DNA sequence data from seven plastid
regions." American Journal of Botany 92.2 (2005): 337-51.
^ ab Schulte, Katharina, Michael H. Barfuss, and Georg Zizka. "Phylogeny of Bromelioideae (Bromeliaceae) inferred from nuclear plastid DNA loci reveals the evolution of the tank habit within the subfamily." Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 51 (2009): 327-39.
^ Rex, Martina, Kerstin Patzolt, Katharina Schulte, Georg Zizka, Roberto Vasquez, Pierre L. Ibisch, and Kurt Weising. "AFLP analysis of genetic relationships in the genus Fosterella L.B. Smith (Pitcairnioideae, Bromeliaceae)." Genome 50 (2007): 90-105.
^ Andr?, ?douard Fran?ois. "Bromeliaceae Andreanae. Description et histoire des Bromeliacees recoltees dans La Colombie, L'Ecuador et Le Venezuela". Paris: Librairie Agricole; G. Masson, 1889
Deuterocohnia is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. The genus is named for Ferdinand Julius Cohn, German botanist and bacteriologist. [more]
Acanthostachys
Acanthostachys is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus name is from the Greek ?acanthos? (thorny, spiny) and ?stachys? (a flower spike). [more]
Aechmea
Aechmea is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The name comes from the Greek ?aichme? (a spear). Aechmea has 8 subgenera and 255 species distributed from Mexico through South America. Most of the species in this genus are epiphytes. [more]
Alcantarea (named for Dom Pedro d'Alc?ntara, second Emperor of Brazil) is related to the genus Vriesea of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. [more]
Allardtia
Allardtia is a subgenus of the genus Tillandsia. [more]
Andrea is a given name common in many parts of the world: [more]
Androlepis
Androlepis is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus name is from the Greek ?andros? (man) and ?lepis? (scale). [more]
Anoplophytum
Anoplophytum is a subgenus of the genus Tillandsia. [more]
Araeococcus
Araeococcus is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus name is from the Greek ?araios? (thin, weak, slight) and the Latin ?coccus? (berry). This genus is divided into two subgenera: the type subgenus and Pseudaraeococcus Mez. Is originally from Venezuela. [more]
Arctotheca
Arctotheca () is a small genus of flowering plants in the aster family. They are annuals or perennials native to southern Africa. At least two species are widely naturalized elsewhere, including Australia. [more]
Schefflera () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araliaceae. The plants are trees, shrubs or lianas, growing 1?30 metres (3 ft 3 in?98 ft 5 in) tall, with woody stems and palmately compound leaves. The circumscription of the genus has varied greatly. Phylogenetic studies have shown that the widely-used broad circumscription as a pantropical genus of over 700 species is polyphyletic, but it remains to be seen how this will affect the classification of the genus. [more]
Bilbergia
Billbergia is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus is named for the Swedish botanist, zoologist, and anatomist Gustaf Johan Billberg. Billbergia primarily occur in Brazil but individual specie are represented from Mexico through tropical South America. [more]
Billbergia
Billbergia is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus is named for the Swedish botanist, zoologist, and anatomist Gustaf Johan Billberg. Billbergia primarily occur in Brazil but individual specie are represented from Mexico through tropical South America. [more]
Brewcaria is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae. [more]
Brocchinia
Brocchinia is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Pitcairnioideae. However, a recent DNA study suggests the breakup of the Pitcairnioideae subfamily into 6 new subfamilies and Brocchinia would be the sole genus of new subfamily (family Bromeliaceae). The genus is named for Giovanni Battista Brocchi, Italian naturalist (1772?1826). Brocchinia species are native to the ancient Guayana Shield in southern Venezuela and Guyana. Its species are generally restricted to areas of sand and sandstone of the Roraima Formation; a few occur on granite. [more]
Bromelia
Bromelia is a of tropical American plants characterized by flowers with a deeply cleft calyx, of the family Bromeliaceae, named after the Swedish botanist Olaf Bromelius (died 1705). It includes the following species: [more]
Canistropsis
Canistropsis (Greek- "resembling ") is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. [more]
Canistrum
Canistrum (Greek “kanistron” - a kind of basket carried on the head) is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. [more]
Catopsis is a genus of plants that can be found from Florida to the eastern parts of Brazil, including the Caribbean. One of the species, Catopsis berteroniana, is thought to be carnivorous. [more]
Deinacanthon (from the Greek “deinos” - terrible and “anthos” - flower) is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. [more]
Deincanthon
Deuterocohnia
Deuterocohnia (named for , German botanist and bacteriologist) is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Pitcairnioideae. Plants once described as belonging to the genus Abromeitiella have been reevaluated and reclassified within Deuterocohnia following modern DNA analysis. [more]
Disteganthus is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus name is from the Greek ?dis? (two), ?steg? (covering), and ?anthos? (flower). They are considered a primitive genus among bromeliads and are only found in terrestrial environments. Distenganthus is native to Guyana. [more]
Aechmea is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. Aechmea has more than 140 species distributed from Mexico through South America. Most of the species in this genus are epiphytes. [more]
Edmundoa
Edmundoa is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus is named for Edmundo Pereira, Brazilian botanist (1914-1986) and has only recently been recognized as an independent genus, grouped earlier with Canistrum. [more]
Eduandrea
Encholirium
Encholirium ( enchos = spear and leiron = lily) is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Pitcairnioideae. This genus is native to Brazil where many occur exclusively in arid, rocky conditions. Some species of Encholirium are limited in number and have been the focus of conservation efforts. These plants, which have been observed being pollinated by bats, are commonly confused with Dyckia. [more]
Fascicularia
Fascicularia is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae with very few species. The genus Fascicularia is indigenous to Chile. In the wild, all Fascicularias are either terrestrial or saxicolous. [more]
Fernseea
Fernseea is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus was named in honor of Moravian-Austrian botanist and physician at Vienna, Dr. Heinrich Ritter Wawra von Fernsee (1831-1887) by John Gilbert Baker . [more]
Fosterella
The Fosterella is a of the Bromeliad family (Bromeliaceae) named after horticulturist/botanist Mulford B. Foster. [more]
Glomeropitcarnia is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. The genus name is from the Latin ?glomero? (to form into a ball) and the genus Pitcairnia. [more]
Gravisia
Aechmea is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. Aechmea has more than 140 species distributed from Mexico through South America. Most of the species in this genus are epiphytes. [more]
Greigia
Greigia is a of the plant family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. Greigias are unique among bromeliads in that they do not die after flowering. Instead, they continue to bloom every year from the same rosette. [more]
Guzmania
Guzmania is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. The genus name is for Anastasio Guzman, Spanish pharmacist and naturalist. [more]
Guzvriesea
Hechtia
Hechtia is a plant genus, containing around fifty species, and named after Julius Gottfried Conrad Hecht. They are dioecious bromeliads, like the pineapple. [more]
Hohenbergia is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus name is for the Prince of W?rttemburg, German patron of botany known as Hohenberg. This genus has two recognized subgenera: the type subgenus and Wittmackiopsis Mez. [more]
Hohenbergiopsis
Hohenbergiopsis is so named (From the genus “Hohenbergia” and the Greek “opsis” (resembling)) because it resembles the genus Hohenbergia, which is named for Hohenberg, a prince of Wurttemberg (now part of Germany) and a patron of botany. It is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. [more]
Karatas (Ancient Greek: ?e?a?s??, M?garsus) is a small city and a district in Adana Province, on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, 47 km from the city of Adana, between the rivers of Seyhan and Ceyhan, the Pyramos of Antiquity. The city of Karatas has a population of 8,483 (in 2010), with another 13,000 living in surrounding villages. [more]
Lamprococcus
Lindmania
Lindmania (named for Carl Axel Magnus Lindman, Swedish botanist) is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Pitcairnioideae. [more]
Lymania
Lymania (named for , American botanist) is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus was established in 1984 to "unite furrowed or winged species from Aechmea subgenus Lamprococcus, Araeococcus and Ronnbergia" a group of plants native to the Bahian coast of the Brazilian rainforest. Modern DNA analysis has confirmed that Lymania is correctly classified as an independent genus containing two distinct clades. [more]
Mezobromelia (named for Carl Christian Mez, German botanist) is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. They are a rare genus, native to Colombia and Ecuador. [more]
Neoglaziova is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus is named in honor of Auguste Fran?ois Marie Glaziou, French landscape architect and bromeliad collector (1833-1906). [more]
Neoregelia
Neoregelia is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. A genus of bromeliads with mostly broad, relatively flat leaves. Inflorescences form in a shallow depression the center of the plant, which often fills partway with water, through which the flowers bloom. The leaves immediately surrounding the inflorescence are very often brightly colored, and many species show banding or striping on most or all of their leaves. Neoregelia species are commonly cultivated and hybridized for their colorful foliage. [more]
Nidularium
Nidularium is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. Named to describe the nestling characteristic of the inflorescence (Lat. nidulus = little nest), they are endemic to Brazil. Commonly confused with Neoregelia which they resemble, this plant group was first described in 1854. [more]
Ochagavia (named for Sylvestris Ochagavia, Chilean minister of education) is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. Endemic to southern and central Chile, this genus is represented by four known species. [more]
Orthophytum (Greek "ortho" = straight and "phytum" = plant) is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. [more]
Pepinia
Pitcairnia is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Pitcairnioideae. It was named for Dr. William Pitcairn, English physician and gardener (1711-1791). The genus Pitcairnia ranks as the second most prolific of the bromeliad family (after Tillandsia). They are most abundant in Colombia, Peru and Brazil, but can also be found in areas from Cuba and Mexico south to Argentina. [more]
Pitcairnia is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Pitcairnioideae. It was named for Dr. William Pitcairn, English physician and gardener (1711-1791). The genus Pitcairnia ranks as the second most prolific of the bromeliad family (after Tillandsia). They are most abundant in Colombia, Peru and Brazil, but can also be found in areas from Cuba and Mexico south to Argentina. [more]
Portea (named for Dr. Marius Porte, French naturalist) is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae, and is native to the Atlantic coast of Brazil. [more]
Pothuava
Pothuava is a subgenus of the genus Aechmea. [more]
Pseudaechmea is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus name is from the Greek ?pseudos? (false) and the genus Aechmea. The genus was established by Lyman Smith in 1988 along with Steyerbromelia, Brewcaria, and Lymania. [more]
Pseudananas
Pseudananas is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. [more]
Quesnelia (named For M. Quesnel, French consul to French Guiana) is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. Indigenous to eastern Brazil, this genus contains approximately 30 species. [more]
Racinaea (named for Racine Foster, wife of and co-founder of the BSI) is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. [more]
Ronnbergia is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. Native to South America, this genus was named for Auguste Ronnberg, Belgian Director of Agriculture and Horticulture in 1874. [more]
Steyerbromelia (named for Julian A. Steyermark, American plant collector, author, and editor) is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Pitcairnioideae. [more]
Aechmea is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. Aechmea has more than 140 species distributed from Mexico through South America. Most of the species in this genus are epiphytes. [more]
The plant genus Tillandsia, a member of the Bromeliad family (Bromeliaceae), is found in the deserts, forests and mountains of Central and South America, and Mexico and the southern United States in North America. The thinner leafed varieties grow in rainy areas and the thick leafed varieties in areas more subject to drought. Moisture and nutrients are gathered from the air (dust, decaying leaves and insect matter) through structures on the leaves called trichomes. Tillandsia species are epiphytes, i.e. in nature they normally grow without soil, attached to other plants. Epiphytes are not parasitic, and depend on the host only for support. Common names for Tillandsia include air plant, ball moss (T. recurvata) and Spanish moss, the latter referring to T. usneoides in particular. [more]
Ursulaea (named for Ursula Baensch, plant breeder and co-author of ‘Blooming Bromeliads’) is a of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. Represented by two known species, these plants are endemic to Mexico. [more]
Viridantha
Vriesea
Vriesea (named for , Dutch botanist, physician)[1] is the second largest genus of the Tillandsioideae subfamily in the botanical family Bromeliaceae. Containing some of the largest bromeliad species, these tropical plants harbor a wide variety of insect fauna, unlike the smaller catopsis species. In the wild, frogs may go through their whole life cycle in a bromeliad. This genus is closely related to Guzmania. Both Guzmania and Vriesea have dry capsules that split open to release parachute like seeds similar to dandelion. Most Vriesea are Epiphytes and grow soilless on trees. they have no roots but have special hold fasts that do not take in any nutrients. All nutrients are taken in through the center "tank" made by a rosette of leaves. [more]
Vriesia
Werauhia
Werauhia is a genus of epiphytic , native to the neotropics. Based on molecular evidence, a number of species previously classified within other bromeliad genera, especially Vriesia and Tillandsia, have been placed in Werauhia instead. [more]
Wittmackia
Aechmea is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The name comes from the Greek ?aichme? (a spear). Aechmea has 8 subgenera and 255 species distributed from Mexico through South America. Most of the species in this genus are epiphytes. [more]
Wittrockia
Wittrockia is a of flowering plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. Consisting of only seven species, these plants are native to Central and South America. Their attractive foliage has made them popular in cultivation. [more]
X Cryptbergia
X Quesmea
More info about the Genus X Quesmea may be found here.
^ Mabberley, D.J. (1997). The Plant Book. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
^ Judd, Walter S. Plant systematics a phylogenetic approach. 3rd ed. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc., 2007.
^ Sajo, M. G. "Floral anatomy of Bromeliaceae, with particular reference to the epigyny and septal nectaries in commelinid monocots." Plant Systematics and Evolution 247 (2004): 215-31.
^ ab "Pineapple Dreams", The Wild Side, Olivia Judson, The New York Times,
March 18, 2008
^ ab Givnish, Thomas J., Kendra C. Millam, Timothy M. Evans, Jocelyn C. Hall, J. C. Pires, Paul E. Berry, and Kenneth J. Sytsma. "Ancient vicariance or recent long-distance dispersal? Inferences about phylogeny and South American-African disjunctions in Raptaceae and Bromeliaceae based on ndhf sequence data." International Journal of Plant Science 165.4 (2004): 35-54.
^ Barfuss, Michael H., Rosabelle Samuel, Walter Till, and Todd F. Stuessy. "Phylogenetic relationships in subfamily Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae) based on DNA sequence data from seven plastid regions." American Journal of Botany 92.2 (2005): 337-51.
^ ab Schulte, Katharina, Michael H. Barfuss, and Georg Zizka. "Phylogeny of Bromelioideae (Bromeliaceae) inferred from nuclear plastid DNA loci reveals the evolution of the tank habit within the subfamily." Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 51 (2009): 327-39.
^ Rex, Martina, Kerstin Patzolt, Katharina Schulte, Georg Zizka, Roberto Vasquez, Pierre L. Ibisch, and Kurt Weising. "AFLP analysis of genetic relationships in the genus Fosterella L.B. Smith (Pitcairnioideae, Bromeliaceae)." Genome 50 (2007): 90-105.
^ Andr?, ?douard Fran?ois. "Bromeliaceae Andreanae. Description et histoire des Bromeliacees recoltees dans La Colombie, L'Ecuador et Le Venezuela". Paris: Librairie Agricole; G. Masson, 1889
