''Alcantarea imperialis'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of bromeliad in the genus ''

Alcantarea ''Alcantarea'' (named for Dom Pedro d'Alcântara, second Emperor of Brazil) is related to the genus ''Vriesea'' of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae Tillandsioideae is a subfamily of plants in the bromeliad family Br ...

''. This species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. It was first described in 1888 as ''Vriesea imperialis'' by

Élie-Abel Carrière Élie-Abel Carrière (4 June 1818 – 17 August 1896) was a French botanist, based in Paris. He was a leading authority on conifers in the period 1850–1870, describing many new species, and the new genera ''Tsuga'', ''Keteleeria'' and '' ...

, who dedicated it to the emperor of Brazil with the species epithet, ''imperialis''. It was assigned to the genus, ''

'', by

Hermann Harms Hermann August Theodor Harms (16 July 1870 – 27 November 1942) was a German taxonomist and botanist. Harms was born in Berlin. He worked as a botanist at the Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum, Botanical Museum in Berlin. ...

in 1930.

Description

This large terrestrial

bromeliad The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, ...

was once classified as ''

Vriesea ''Vriesea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. The genus name is for Willem Hendrik de Vriese, Dutch botanist, physician (1806–1862). Its species are widespread over Mexico, Central ...

imperialis'' but is now recognized as part of the genus ''Alcantarea''. It can be found growing on rocky slopes in the

Serra dos Órgãos The Serra dos Órgãos ("Organ Range") is a mountain range in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It contains the Serra dos Órgãos National Park. Location The Serra dos Órgãos is the name of the region of the Serra do Mar in the central pa ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

. It can tolerate dry conditions and full sunlight. Considered one of the giants of the genus, "its leathery leaves measuring 6 inches in width and 5 feet in length." It will take up to forty years before producing an imposing red inflorescence that reaches 8 feet, or even ten feet (3 meters) in height. Its tank will hold up to thirty liters of rainwater. Alcantarea imperialis PC060946.jpg, in flower Alcantarea imperialis PC060954.jpg File:Alcantarea Imperialis red form.jpg, Alcantarea Imperialis - Red Form File:Alcantarea Imperialis green form.jpg, Alcantarea Imperialis - Green Form

Cultivars

* ''Alcantarea'' 'Ajax' * ''Alcantarea'' 'Black Cinder' * ''Alcantarea'' 'Gladys' * ''Alcantarea'' 'Helenice' * ''Alcantarea'' 'Purple Skotak' * ''Alcantarea'' 'Silver Plum' * ''Alcantarea'' 'Tarawera' * ''Alcantarea'' 'Totara Orange'

References

*
BSI Cultivar Registry
Retrieved 11 October 2009 imperialis Flora of Brazil Taxa named by Élie-Abel Carrière {{Tillandsioideae-stub