The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

monocot Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

, with several species found in the American

subtropics The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 35° north and ...

and one in tropical

west Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

, ''

Pitcairnia feliciana ''Pitcairnia feliciana'' is a plant endemic to central Guinea in West Africa and is the only species of bromeliad not native to the Americas. It can be found growing on sandstone outcrops (inselbergs) of the Fouta Djallon highlands in Middle Guin ...

''. It is among the basal families within the

Poales The Poales are a large order of flowering plants in the monocotyledons, and includes families of plants such as the grasses, bromeliads, and sedges. Sixteen plant families are currently recognized by botanists to be part of Poales. Descriptio ...

and is the only family within the order that has

septal nectaries Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

and inferior ovaries.Judd, Walter S. Plant systematics a phylogenetic approach. 3rd ed. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc., 2007. These inferior ovaries characterize the

Bromelioideae Bromelioideae is a subfamily of the bromeliads ( Bromeliaceae). This subfamily is the most diverse, represented by the greatest number of genera with about 40. Most of the plants in this group are epiphytes, though some have evolved in, or will a ...

, a subfamily of the Bromeliaceae. The family includes both

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

s, such as

Spanish moss Spanish moss (''Tillandsia usneoides'') is an epiphytic flowering plant that often grows upon large trees in tropical and subtropical climates. It is native to much of Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Central America, South America, the Southern Uni ...

(''

Tillandsia usneoides Spanish moss (''Tillandsia usneoides'') is an epiphytic flowering plant that often grows upon large trees in tropical and subtropical climates. It is native to much of Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Central America, South America, the Southern Uni ...

''), and

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

species, such as the

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

(''

Ananas comosus ''Ananas'' is a plant genus in the family Bromeliaceae. It is native to South America. The genus contains ''Ananas comosus'', the pineapple. Species The genus ''Ananas'' includes only two species: Gallery File:Pineapple.plantation.jpg, Pinea ...

''). Many bromeliads are able to store water in a structure formed by their tightly overlapping

leaf A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

bases. However, the family is diverse enough to include the tank bromeliads, grey-leaved

Tillandsia ''Tillandsia'' is a genus of around 650 species of evergreen, perennial flowering plants in the family Bromeliaceae, native to the forests, mountains and deserts of northern Mexico and south-eastern United States, Mesoamerica and the Caribbean to ...

'' species that gather water only from leaf structures called

trichome Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a pla ...

s, and many desert-dwelling

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

s. The largest bromeliad is ''

Puya raimondii ''Puya raimondii'', also known as queen of the Andes (English), titanka (Quechua) or puya de Raimondi (Spanish), is the largest species of bromeliad, its inflorescences reaching up to in height. It is native to the high Andes of Bolivia and Pe ...

'', which reaches tall in vegetative growth with a flower spike tall, and the smallest is

Description

Bromeliads are mostly

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennials A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...

, although a few have a more tree-like habit. Many are more or less

or have other adaptations to resist drought. They may be terrestrial or

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

, rarely climbing (e.g. ''

Pitcairnia ''Pitcairnia'' is a genus of plants in the Family (biology), family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Pitcairnioideae. It was named for William Pitcairn, Scottish physician and gardener (1711–1791). The genus ''Pitcairnia'' ranks as the second most prol ...

'' species). Some species of ''

'' (e.g.

, ''Tillandsia usneoides'') are aerophytes, which have very reduced root systems and absorb water directly from the air. Many terrestrial and epiphytic bromeliads have their leaves in the form of vase-shaped rosettes which accumulate water. Individual leaves are not divided and have parallel veins without cross connections. The epidermis of the leaf contains silica. Bromeliad flowers are aggregated into

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

s of various forms. The flowers have bracts, often brightly coloured, and distinct calyces of three

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s and corollas of three

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s. The flowers have

nectaries Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

. They are

pollinated Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, ...

by insects, birds (often

hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics aro ...

s) or bats, or more rarely (in '' Navia'') they are wind-pollinated. Fruits are variable, typically taking the form of a capsule or a berry. Bromeliads are able to live in an array of environmental conditions due to their many adaptations.

Trichome Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a pla ...

s, in the form of scales or hairs, allow bromeliads to capture water in cloud forests and help to reflect sunlight in desert environments. Bromeliads with leaf vases can capture water and nutrients in the absence of a well-developed root system. Many bromeliads also use

crassulacean acid metabolism Crassulacean acid metabolism, also known as CAM photosynthesis, is a carbon fixation pathway that evolved in some plants as an adaptation to arid conditions that allows a plant to photosynthesize during the day, but only exchange gases at night. ...

(CAM)

photosynthesis Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored i ...

to create sugars. This adaptation allows bromeliads in hot or dry climates to open their

stoma In botany, a stoma (from Greek ''στόμα'', "mouth", plural "stomata"), also called a stomate (plural "stomates"), is a pore found in the epidermis of leaves, stems, and other organs, that controls the rate of gas exchange. The pore is bor ...

ta at night rather than during the day, which reduces water loss. Both CAM and epiphytism have evolved multiple times within the family, with some taxa reverting to

C3 photosynthesis carbon fixation is the most common of three metabolic pathways for carbon fixation in photosynthesis, along with and CAM. This process converts carbon dioxide and ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP, a 5-carbon sugar) into two molecules of 3-phospho ...

as they radiated into less arid climates.

Evolution

Bromeliads are among the more recent plant groups to have emerged. They are thought to have originated in the

tepui A tepui , or tepuy (), is a table-top mountain or mesa found in South America, especially in Venezuela and western Guyana. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gran S ...

s of the

Guiana Shield The Guiana Shield (french: Plateau des Guyanes, Bouclier guyanais; nl, Hoogland van Guyana, Guianaschild; pt, Planalto das Guianas, Escudo das Guianas; es, Escudo guayanés) is one of the three cratons of the South American Plate. It is a ...

approximately 100 million years ago. The greatest number of extant basal species are found in the

Andean The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the List of mountain ranges#Mountain ranges by length, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range i ...

highlands of South America. However, the family did not diverge into its extant subfamilies until 19 million years ago. The long period between the origin and diversification of bromeliads, during which no extant species evolved, suggests that there was much

speciation Speciation is the evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species. The biologist Orator F. Cook coined the term in 1906 for cladogenesis, the splitting of lineages, as opposed to anagenesis, phyletic evolution within ...

and extinction during that time, which would explain the genetic distance of the Bromeliaceae from other families within the Poales. Based on

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

studies, the family is divided into eight subfamilies. The relationship among them is shown in the following

cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to d ...

. The most basal genus, ''

Brocchinia ''Brocchinia'' is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, and is the sole genus of the subfamily Brocchinioideae, containing 20 species. The genus is named for Giovanni Battista Brocchi, Italian naturalist (1772–1826). ''Brocchinia'' sp ...

'' (subfamily Brocchinioideae), is endemic to the Guiana Shield, and is placed as the

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

to the remaining

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

in the family. The subfamilies

Lindmanioideae Lindmanioideae is a subfamily of the bromeliad family, Bromeliaceae. It contains two genera, which were formerly placed in a more broadly defined subfamily Pitcairnioideae Pitcairnioideae is a subfamily of the bromeliad family, Bromeliaceae. T ...

and

Navioideae Navioideae is a subfamily of the bromeliad family, Bromeliaceae. It contains four or five genera, formerly placed in a more broadly defined subfamily Pitcairnioideae. Genera , the Encyclopaedia of Bromeliads accepted five genera, while Plants of ...

are endemic to the Guiana Shield as well. The

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

n species ''

'' is the only bromeliad not

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 ...

to the Americas, and is thought to have reached Africa via long-distance dispersal about 12 million years ago.

Radiation of Tillandsioideae and ''Hechtia''

The first groups to leave the Guiana Shield were the subfamily

Tillandsioideae Tillandsioideae is a subfamily of plants in the bromeliad family Bromeliaceae. This subfamily contains the greatest number of species (about 1,400). Most are epiphytic or lithophytic, growing in trees or on rocks where they absorb water and nutr ...

, which spread gradually into northern South America, and the genus ''

Hechtia ''Hechtia'' is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae, and is the sole genus of the subfamily Hechtioideae, containing 75 species. Its species are native to Mexico, Central America, and Texas. The genus is named for Julius Gottfried Conr ...

'' (Hechtioideae), which spread to Central America via long-distance dispersal. Both of these movements occurred approximately 15.4 million years ago. When it reached the Andes mountains, the speciation of Tillandsioideae occurred quite rapidly, largely due to the Andean uplift, which was also occurring rapidly from 14.2 to 8.7 million years ago. The uplift greatly altered the region's geological and climatic conditions, creating a new mountainous environment for the epiphytic tillandsioids to colonize. These new conditions directly drove the speciation of the Tillandsioideae, and also drove the speciation of their animal pollinators, such as

Evolution of the Bromelioideae

Around 5.5 million years ago, a clade of epiphytic bromelioids arose in

Serra do Mar The Serra do Mar (, Portuguese for ''Sea's Ridge'' or ''Sea Ridge'') is a 1,500 km long system of mountain ranges and escarpments in Southeastern Brazil. Geography The Serra do Mar runs parallel to the Atlantic Ocean coast from the state ...

, a lush mountainous region on the coast of Southeastern Brazil. This is thought to have been caused not only by the uplift of Serra do Mar itself at that time, but also because of the continued uplift of the distant Andes mountains, which impacted the circulation of air and created a cooler, wetter climate in Serra do Mar. These epiphytes thrived in this humid environment, since their trichomes rely on water in the air rather than from the ground like terrestrial plants. Many epiphytic bromeliads with the tank habit also speciated here. Even before this, a few other bromelioids had already dispersed to the Brazilian shield while the climate was still arid, likely through a gradual process of short-distance dispersal. These make up the terrestrial members of the Bromelioideae, which have highly xeromorphic characters.

Classification

The family Bromeliaceae is currently placed in the order

Subfamilies

The family Bromeliaceae is organized into eight subfamilies: *

Brocchinioideae ''Brocchinia'' is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, and is the sole genus of the subfamily Brocchinioideae, containing 20 species. The genus is named for Giovanni Battista Brocchi, Italian naturalist (1772–1826). ''Brocchinia'' sp ...

Hechtioideae ''Hechtia'' is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae, and is the sole genus of the subfamily Hechtioideae, containing 75 species. Its species are native to Mexico, Central America, and Texas. The genus is named for Julius Gottfried Conra ...

Pitcairnioideae Pitcairnioideae is a subfamily of the bromeliad family, Bromeliaceae. Traditionally, it was a large subfamily, comprising all those species with winged or more rarely naked seeds. Molecular phylogenetic studies showed that traditional Pitcairnioi ...

Puyoideae ''Puya'' is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae. It is the sole genus of the subfamily Puyoideae, and is composed of 226 species. These terrestrial plants are native to the Andes Mountains of South America and southern Central America. ...

Bromeliaceae were originally split into three subfamilies based on morphological seed characters: Bromelioideae (seeds in

baccate In botany, a berry is a fleshy fruit without a stone (pit) produced from a single flower containing one ovary. Berries so defined include grapes, currants, and tomatoes, as well as cucumbers, eggplants (aubergines) and bananas, but exclude c ...

fruits), Tillandsioideae (plumose seeds), and Pitcairnioideae (seeds with wing-like appendages). However, molecular evidence has revealed that while Bromelioideae and Tillandsioideae are monophyletic, Pitcairnioideae as traditionally defined is

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

and should be split into six subfamilies: Brocchinioideae, Lindmanioideae, Hechtioideae, Navioideae, Pitcairnioideae, and Puyoideae. Brocchinioideae is defined as the most basal branch of Bromeliaceae based on both morphological and molecular evidence, namely genes in chloroplast DNA. Lindmanioideae is the next most basal branch distinguished from the other subfamilies by convolute sepals and chloroplast DNA. Hechtioideae is also defined based on analyses of chloroplast DNA; similar morphological adaptations to arid environments also found in other groups (namely the genus ''

Puya Puya may refer to: * ''Puya'' (plant), in the family Bromeliaceae * Puya (river), in Russia * Puya, a variety of Guajillo chili * ''Puya'' (Meitei texts), traditional or mythological texts of the Meetei people * ''Culoepuya'' or ''Culo'e Puya'', V ...

)'' are attributed to

convergent evolution Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last com ...

. Navioideae is split from Pitcairnioideae based on its cochlear sepals and chloroplast DNA. Puyoideae has been re-classified multiple times and its monophyly remains controversial according to analyses of chloroplast DNA.

Genera

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...

(PoWO) accepted 72 genera, as listed below. A few more genera were accepted by the Encyclopaedia of Bromeliads, including ''Josemania'' and ''Mezobromelia'', which PoWO sinks into ''Cipuropsis''. *''

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). Species There are three known species, all endemic t ...

Klotzsch Johann Friedrich Klotzsch (9 June 1805 – 5 November 1860) was a German pharmacist and botanist. His principal work was in the field of mycology, with the study and description of many species of mushroom. Klotzsch was born in Wittenberg. Origin ...

*''

Aechmea ''Aechmea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bromeliaceae (subfamily Bromelioideae). The name comes from the Greek ''aichme'', meaning "spear". Suggested pronunciations include and . ''Aechmea'' comprises eight subgenera and around ...

Ruiz The Spanish surname Ruiz originates from the Germanic personal name " Hrodric" which is composed of the elements "Hrōd", meaning "renown", and "rīc", meaning "power(ful)", thus "famous ruler". Ruiz is a patronymic from the personal name Ruy, a sh ...

& Pav. *''

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 ...

'' Harms *''

Ananas ''Ananas'' is a plant genus in the family Bromeliaceae. It is native to South America. The genus contains ''Ananas comosus'', the pineapple. Species The genus ''Ananas'' includes only two species: Gallery File:Pineapple.plantation.jpg, Pinea ...

Mill. Philip Miller FRS (1691 – 18 December 1771) was an English botanist and gardener of Scottish descent. Miller was chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden for nearly 50 years from 1722, and wrote the highly popular '' The Gardeners Dict ...

, including ''Pseudananas'' Hassl. ex Harms (includes the

) *''

Androlepis ''Androlepis'' is a genus of epiphytes in the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae, native to Central America and southern Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the south ...

'' Brongn. ex Houllet *''

Araeococcus ''Araeococcus'' is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. It is native to northern South America, Central America and Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad a ...

'' Brongn. *'' Barfussia'' Manzan. & W.Till *''

Billbergia ''Billbergia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family (biology), family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. Description The ''Billbergia'' species are rosette-forming, evergreen perennial plants, perennials, usually epiphyte, epiphytic, ...

Thunb. Carl Peter Thunberg, also known as Karl Peter von Thunberg, Carl Pehr Thunberg, or Carl Per Thunberg (11 November 1743 – 8 August 1828), was a Sweden, Swedish Natural history, naturalist and an Apostles of Linnaeus, "apostle" of Carl Linnaeus ...

*''

Brewcaria ''Brewcaria'' is a genus of plants in the family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintai ...

L.B.Sm. Lyman Bradford Smith (September 11, 1904 – May 4, 1997) was an American botanist. Smith was born in Winchester, Massachusetts. He studied botany during the 1920s at Harvard University and received his PhD from Harvard in 1930. Between 1928 a ...

, Steyerm. & H.Rob, synonym of ''Navia'' in PoWO *''

Schult.f. Julius Hermann Schultes (4 February 1804 in Vienna – 1 September 1840 in Munich) was an Austrian botanist from Vienna. He co-authored volume 7 of the Roemer & Schultes edition of the ''Systema Vegetabilium'' with his father Josef August S ...

*''

Bromelia ''Bromelia'' is a genus of about 70 plant species widespread across Latin America and the West Indies. It is the type genus of the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae, and its type species is '' B. karatas''. ''Bromelia'' species are ch ...

'' L. *''

Canistropsis ''Canistropsis'' is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus name is from the genus '' Canistrum'' and the Greek “opsis” (resembling). All 11 species of this genus are endemic to the Atlantic Forest ...

'' (Mez) Leme *''

Canistrum ''Canistrum'' is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus names are from the Greek “kanistron” (a kind of basket carried on the head). This bromeliad genus is endemic to the Atlantic Forest biome ...

'' E.Morren *''

Catopsis ''Catopsis'' is a genus in the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. The genus name is from the Greek “kata” (hanging down) and “opsis” (appearance). ''Catopsis'' is a genus of plants widespread across much of Latin A ...

Griseb. August Heinrich Rudolf Grisebach () was a German botany, botanist and phytogeography, phytogeographer. He was born in Hannover on 17 April 1814 and died in Göttingen on 9 May 1879. Biography Grisebach studied at the Lyceum in Hanover, the clo ...

*''

Cipuropsis ''Cipuropsis'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Bromeliaceae, native to the Caribbean, southern Central America and northwestern South America. The genus was first described by Ule in 1907. Taxonomy , different circumscriptions of the ...

Ule Ule is a German surname Personal names in German-speaking Europe consist of one or several given names (''Vorname'', plural ''Vornamen'') and a surname (''Nachname, Familienname''). The ''Vorname'' is usually gender-specific. A name is usually ci ...

*''

Connellia ''Connellia'' is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae. The genus name is for Frederick Vavasour McConnell, English ornithologist and biologist (1868-1914). There are 6 known species, all native to the Guyana Highlands of Guyana and Vene ...

N.E.Br. Nicholas Edward Brown (11 July 1849 in Redhill, Surrey – 25 November 1934 in Kew Gardens, London) was an English plant taxonomist and authority on succulents. He was also an authority on several families of plants, including Asclepiadacea ...

*''

Cottendorfia ''Cottendorfia'' is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae. The genus name is for Johann Georg Freiherr Cotta von Cottendorf, German patron of the sciences (1796-1863). There is only one known species, ''Cottendorfia florida'', endemic t ...

*''

Cryptanthus ''Cryptanthus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus name is from the Greek ''cryptos'' (hidden) and ''anthos'' (flower). The genus formerly had two recognized subgenera: the type subgenus ...

Otto Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fro ...

A.Dietr. Albert Gottfried Dietrich (8 November 1795 – 22 May 1856) was a German botanist born in Danzig. Dietrich was curator at the Botanical Garden in Berlin and was an instructor at the institute of horticulture at Berlin-Schöneberg. From 1833 to 185 ...

*''

Deinacanthon ''Deinacanthon'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae Bromelioideae is a subfamily of the bromeliads (Bromeliaceae). This subfamily is the most diverse, represented by the greatest number of genera ...

'' Mez *''

Deuterocohnia ''Deuterocohnia'' is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Pitcairnioideae, endemic to South America. The genus is named for Ferdinand Julius Cohn Ferdinand Julius Cohn (24 January 1828 – 25 June 1898) was a German biolo ...

'' Mez *''

Disteganthus ''Disteganthus'' is a genus of plants in the 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 bromeliad ...

Lem. Charles Antoine Lemaire (1 November 1800, in Paris – 22 June 1871, in Paris), was a French botanist and botanical author, noted for his publications on Cactaceae. Education Born the son of Antoine Charles Lemaire and Marie Jeanne Davio, he ha ...

*''

Dyckia ''Dyckia'' is a genus of plants in the family (biology), family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Pitcairnioideae. The genus is named after the Prussian botanist, botanical artist and horticulturist The Prince and Earl of Salm Reifferscheid-Dyck (1773–1 ...

*'' Edmundoa'' Leme *''

Eduandrea ''Eduandrea'' is a monotypic genus plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. Taxonomy It contains a single species, ''Eduandrea selloana''. The former genus ''Andrea'' has been ruled invalid and renamed ''Eduandrea'' in honor ...

'' Leme, W.Till, G.K.Br., J.R.Grant & Govaerts *''

Encholirium ''Encholirium'' is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Pitcairnioideae. The entire genus is endemic to Brazil. The genus name is from the Greek “enchos” (spear) and “leiron” (lily). This genus occur exclusively in ari ...

Mart. Carl Friedrich Philipp (Karl Friedrich Philipp) von Martius (17 April 1794 – 13 December 1868) was a German botanist and explorer. Life Martius was born at Erlangen, the son of Prof Ernst Wilhelm Martius, court apothecary. He graduated PhD f ...

*'' Fascicularia'' Mez *''

Fernseea ''Fernseea'' is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae, with two known species, both endemic to Brazil. The genus was named in honor of Moravian-Austrian botanist and physician at Vienna, Dr. Heinrich Ritter Wawra ...

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...

*'' Forzzaea'' Leme, S.Heller & Zizka *''

Fosterella ''Fosterella'' is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Pitcairnioideae. It contains 31 recognized species, 30 native to central and western South America, one to Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultura ...

*''

Glomeropitcairnia 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''. It has two known species, native to Venezuela, Trinid ...

'' Mez *''

Goudaea ''Goudaea'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Bromeliaceae. Its native range is Trinidad, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru. The genus name of ''Goudaea'' is in honour of Eric Gouda (b. 1957), Dutch botanist; specialist in Bromeliac ...

'' W.Till & Barfuss *'' Gregbrownia'' W.Till & Barfuss *''

Greigia ''Greigia'' is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. It is native to Latin America from Mexico to Chile. The genus is named in honour of Major General Samuel Alexjewitsch Greig, president of the Russian Horticult ...

Regel Eduard August von Regel (sometimes Edward von Regel or Edward de Regel or Édouard von Regel), Russian: Эдуард Август Фон Регель; (born 13 August 1815 in Gotha; died 15 April 1892 in St. Petersburg) was a German horticultural ...

*''

Guzmania ''Guzmania'' (tufted airplant) is a genus of over 120 species of flowering plants in the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. They are mainly stemless, evergreen, epiphytic perennials native to Florida, the West Indies, south ...

& Pav. *''

*''

Hohenbergia ''Hohenbergia'' is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. It is native to the West Indies, the Yucatán Peninsula, and northern South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil). The genus name is named after Duke Paul ...

*'' Hohenbergiopsis''

Read Read Read may refer to: * Reading, human cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct or derive meaning * Read (automobile), an American car manufactured from 1913 to 1915 * Read (biology), an inferred sequence of base pairs of ...

*'' Hoplocryptanthus'' (Mez) Leme, S.Heller & Zizka *''

Hylaeaicum ''Hylaeaicum'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Bromeliaceae, native to tropical northern South America. The taxon was first described by Ernst Heinrich Georg Ule in 1935 as a subgenus of "''Aregelia''" (an illegitimate genus name). I ...

'' (Ule ex Mez) Leme, Forzza, Zizka & Aguirre-Santoro *'' Jagrantia'' Barfuss & W.Till *''

Josemania ''Josemania'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Bromeliaceae, first described in 2016. Taxonomy , the genus is accepted by the Encyclopedia of Bromeliads, while Plants of the World Online sinks it into ''Cipuropsis ''Cipuropsis'' i ...

'' W.Till & Barfuss *'' Karawata'' J.R.Maciel & G.M.Sousa *'' Lapanthus'' Louzada & Versieux *'' Lemeltonia'' Barfuss & W.Till *''

Lindmania ''Lindmania'' is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae. It is one of two genera in the subfamily Lindmanioideae, and contains 39 species. All but one of the known species are native to Venezuela, a few occurring in neighboring Guyana and n ...

'' Mez *''

Lutheria ''Lutheria'' is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flower ...

'' Barfuss & W.Till *''

Lymania ''Lymania'' (named for Lyman Bradford Smith, American botanist) is a genus in the plant family (biology), family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus was established in 1984 to "unite furrowed or winged species from ''Aechmea'' subge ...

*'' Mezobromelia''

*'' Navia''

*'' Neoglaziovia'' Mez *''

Neoregelia ''Neoregelia'' is a genus of epiphytic flowering plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae, native to South American rainforests. The genus name is for Eduard August von Regel, Director of St. Petersburg Botanic Gardens in Russ ...

*''

Nidularium ''Nidularium'' is a genus in the plant family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. Named to describe the nestling characteristic of the inflorescence (Lat. nidulus = little nest), all the species are endemic to Brazil. Commonly confused with '' ...

*''

Ochagavia ''Ochagavia'' is a plant genus in the plant family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus is named for Sylvestris Ochagavia, Chilean minister of education. Endemic to southern and central Chile (including the Juan Fernández Islands),S ...

Phil. Rodolfo Amando (or Rudolph Amandus) Philippi (14 September 1808 – 23 July 1904) was a German–Chilean paleontologist and zoologist. Philippi contributed primarily to malacology and paleontology. His grandson, Rodulfo Amando Philippi Bañados ( ...

*'' Orthophytum'' Beer *''

'' L'Her., including subgenus ''Pepinia'' *''

Portea ''Portea'' is a genus in the plant family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. It is native to the Atlantic coast of Brazil. It is named for Dr. Marius Porte, a nineteenth-century French naturalist who died in 1866 in Manilla while on a colle ...

K. Koch Karl Heinrich Emil Koch (6 June 1809 – 25 May 1879) was a German botanist. He is best known for his botanical explorations in the Caucasus region, including northeast Turkey. Most of his collections have today been lost. He is also known as ...

*'' Pseudaechmea''

, synonym of ''Billbergia'' in PoWO *''

Pseudalcantarea ''Pseudalcantarea'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Bromeliaceae. Its native range is Mexico to Central America. It was first described as the subgenus ''Pseudalcantarea'' of ''Tillandsia ''Tillandsia'' is a genus of arou ...

'' ( Mez) Pinzón & Barfuss *''

Pseudaraeococcus ''Pseudaraeococcus'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Bromeliaceae, native to northeastern Brazil. It was first described as the subgenus ''Pseudaraeococcus'' of the genus ''Araeococcus'' by Carl Christian Mez in 1935, and raised to a ...

'' (Mez) R.A.Pontes & Versieux *''

'' Molina *''

Quesnelia ''Quesnelia'' is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus is named after French businessman and patron of botany Edouard Prosper Quesnel, of Le Havre (1781-1850). Endemic to eastern Brazil, this genus cont ...

'' Gaudich. *'' Racinaea'' M.A.Spencer & L.B.Sm. *'' Rokautskyia'' Leme, S.Heller & Zizka *'' Ronnbergia'' E.Morren &

André André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation o ...

*''

Sequencia ''Sequencia'' is a monotypic genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae. The sole species is ''Sequencia serrata'' ( originally ''Brocchinia serrata''), endemic to the Vaupés region of Colombia. Formerly in the genus ''Brocchinia'', the ...

'' Givnish *'' Sincoraea'' Ule *''

Steyerbromelia ''Steyerbromelia'' (named after Julian A. Steyermark, an American plant collector, author, and editor) is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Navioideae. All the known species in the genus are endemic to southern Venezuela ...

*''

Stigmatodon ''Stigmatodon'' is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae. Species Species include: * '' Stigmatodon amadoi'' (Leme) Leme, G.K.Br. & Barfuss * '' Stigmatodon apparicianus'' (E.Pereira & Reitz) Leme, G.K.Br. & Barfuss * '' Stigmatodon bell ...

'' Leme, G.K.Br. & Barfuss *''

'' L. *'' Ursulaea'' Read & H.U.Baensch, synonym of ''Aechmea'' in PoWO *''

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 ...

Lindl. John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley w ...

*'' Wallisia'' (

) É.Morren *'' Waltillia'' Leme, Barfuss & Halbritt. *''

Werauhia ''Werauhia'' is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. The genus is named for Werner Rauh, a German botanist (1913–2000). Based on molecular evidence, a number of species previously classified within other brom ...

'' J.R.Grant *''

Wittmackia ''Wittmackia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family (biology), family ''Bromeliaceae''. The genus name of ''Wittmackia'' is in honour of Ludwig Wittmack (1839–1929), a German botanist. The genus was first described and published in C. ...

'' Mez *''

Wittrockia ''Wittrockia'' is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus name is for Veit Brecher Wittrock, a Swedish botanist (1839-1914).Bromeliad Society International read on line/ref> These plants are native to C ...

Lindm. Carl Axel Magnus Lindman (6 April 1856 in Halmstad – 21 June 1928) was a Swedish botanist and botanical artist, the son of Carl Christian Lindman and Sophie Fredrique Löhr. He is best known for his work "''Bilder ur Nordens Flora''" published ...

*''

Zizkaea ''Zizkaea'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Bromeliaceae. It only contains one known species, ''Zizkaea tuerckheimii'' (Mez) W.Till & Barfuss It is native to the Dominican Republic and Haiti on the island of Hispa ...

'' W.Till & Barfuss

Hybrid genera

Intergeneric hybrid genera accepted by Plants of the World Online include: *× ''Cryptbergia'' R.G.Wilson & C.L.Wilson = ''Cryptanthus'' × ''Billbergia'' *× ''Guzlandsia'' Gouda = ''Guzmania'' × ''Tillandsia'' *× ''Hohenmea'' B.R.Silva & L.F.Sousa = ''Hohenbergia'' × ''Aechmea'' *× ''Niduregelia'' Leme = ''Nidularium'' × ''Neoregelia''

Gallery

File:RedBromelaid.jpg, A Bromeliad File:Billbergia pyramidalis in Hyderabad Nursery W IMG 0428.jpg, ''

Billbergia pyramidalis ''Billbergia pyramidalis'', commonly known as the flaming torch and foolproof plant, is a species of bromeliad that is native to northern South America and parts of the Caribbean. It was first described by John Sims, and got its current name ...

'' File:Billbergia pyramidalis in Hyderabad Nursery W IMG 0425.jpg, ''Billbergia pyramidalis'' File:條紋水塔花 20190712192104.jpg, '' Billbergia vittata Brongniart'' File:Tillandsia usneoides04.jpg, ''

'' hanging from branches File:Bromeliad6.jpg, A Bromeliad File:Bromeliad spike.jpg, The flower of a ''

'' sp. File:Puya berteroana.jpg, ''

Puya alpestris ''heli Puya alpestris'' is a species of bromeliad native to Chilean Andes. It is native to dry hills, rock outcrops in central and southern Chile at elevations of 0 to 2200 meters. It is one of the most southerly occurring species within the fam ...

'' File:Bromeliad-pink-flower-closeup.jpg, Flower close-up File:Bromeliad05.jpg, A bromeliad File:Tillandsia tower arp.jpg, ''

'' airplants mounted on the bark of a cork oak

Distribution and habitat

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 4,200 meters, from

rainforests Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

s. 1,814 species are

s, some are

lithophyte Lithophytes are plants that grow in or on rocks. They can be classified as either epilithic (or epipetric) or endolithic; epilithic lithophytes grow on the surfaces of rocks, while endolithic lithophytes grow in the crevices of rocks (and are also ...

s, and some are terrestrial. Accordingly, these plants can be found in the

highlands, from northern Chile to Colombia, in the

Sechura Desert The Sechura Desert is a coastal desert located south of the Piura Region of Peru along the Pacific Ocean coast and inland to the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Its extreme aridity is caused by the upwelling of cold coastal waters and subtrop ...

of coastal Peru, in the

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...

s of Central and South America, in southern United States from southern

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, and in far southern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Ecology

Bromeliads often serve as

phytotelma Phytotelma (plural phytotelmata) is a small water-filled cavity in a terrestrial plant. The water accumulated within these plants may serve as the habitat for associated fauna and flora. A rich literature in German summarised by Thienemann (19 ...

ta, accumulating water between their leaves. 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.Pineapple Dreams
, The Wild Side, Olivia Judson, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', March 18, 2008 The aquatic habitat created as a result is host to a diverse array of

invertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

s, especially aquatic insect larvae, including those of mosquitos. These bromeliad

s benefit their hosts by increasing

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...

uptake into the plant. A study of 209 plants from the Yasuní Scientific Reserve in

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

identified 11,219 animals, representing more than 350 distinct species, many of which are found only on bromeliads. Examples include some species of

ostracod Ostracods, or ostracodes, are a class of the Crustacea (class Ostracoda), sometimes known as seed shrimp. Some 70,000 species (only 13,000 of which are extant) have been identified, grouped into several orders. They are small crustaceans, typic ...

s, small

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten ...

s about in length, and

tree frog A tree frog (or treefrog) is any species of frog that spends a major portion of its lifespan in trees, known as an arboreal state. Several lineages of frogs among the Neobatrachia have given rise to treefrogs, although they are not closely relat ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n bromeliads are home to '' Metopaulias depressus'', a reddish-brown

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...

across, which has evolved social behavior to protect its young from predation by '' Diceratobasis macrogaster'', a species of

damselfly Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Anisoptera, but are smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings along ...

whose

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e live in bromeliads. Some bromeliads even form homes for other species of bromeliads. Trees or branches that have a higher incidence of sunlight tend to have more bromeliads. In contrast, the sectors facing west receive less sunlight and therefore fewer bromeliads. In addition, thicker trees have more bromeliads, possibly because they are older and have greater structural complexity.

Cultivation and uses

Humans have been using bromeliads for thousands of years. The

Incas The Inca Empire (also Quechuan and Aymaran spelling shift, known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechuan languages, Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) wa ...

Aztecs The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those g ...

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...

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

, 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 ''Guzmania lingulata'', the droophead tufted airplant or scarlet star, is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. This evergreen epiphytic perennial plant, perennial is native plant, n ...

'' was introduced to Europe, causing a sensation among gardeners unfamiliar with such a plant. In 1828, ''

Aechmea fasciata ''Aechmea fasciata'' is a species of flowering plant in the Bromeliaceae family. It is commonly called the silver vase or urn plant and is native to Brazil. This plant is probably the best known species in this genus, and it is often grown as a ...

'' was brought to Europe, followed by ''

Vriesea splendens ''Vriesea splendens'', or flaming sword, is a species of flowering plant in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. Native to Trinidad, eastern Venezuela and the GuianasSmith, L.B. & R. J. Downs. 1977. Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae ...

'' in 1840. These transplants were so successful, 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 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 Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

and North American nurseries have greatly expanded bromeliad production. Only one bromeliad, the

(''Ananas comosus''), is a commercially important food crop.

Bromelain Bromelain is an enzyme extract derived from the stems of pineapples, although it exists in all parts of the fresh pineapple. The extract has a history of folk medicine use. As an ingredient, it is used in cosmetics, as a topical medication, and as ...

, a common ingredient in meat tenderizer, is extracted from pineapple stems. Many other bromeliads are popular

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

s, grown as both garden and

houseplant A houseplant, sometimes known as a pot plant, potted plant, or an indoor plant, is an ornamental plant that is grown indoors. As such, they are found in places like residences and offices, mainly for decorative purposes. Common houseplants are us ...

s. Bromeliads are important food plants for many peoples. For example, the

Pima Pima or PIMA may refer to: People * Pima people, the Akimel O'odham, Indigenous peoples in Arizona (U.S.) and Sonora (Mexico) Places * Pima, Arizona, a town in Graham County * Pima County, Arizona * Pima Canyon, in the Santa Catalina Mountains ...

of Mexico occasionally consume flowers of '' Tillandsia erubescens'' and '' T. recurvata'' due to their high sugar content; in Argentina and Bolivia, the shoot apices of '' T. rubella'' and '' T. maxima'' are consumed; in Venezuela, indigenous coastal tribes eat a sour-tasting but sweet-smelling berry, known as 'Maya', of ''

Bromelia chrysantha ''Bromelia chrysantha'' is a plant species in the genus ''Bromelia''. This species is native to Venezuela, Colombia, and Trinidad & Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost islan ...

'' as a fruit or in

fermented beverage This is a list of fermented foods, which are foods produced or preserved by the action of microorganisms. In this context, fermentation typically refers to the fermentation of sugar to alcohol using yeast, but other fermentation processes involv ...

Collectors

Édouard André Édouard François André (17 July 1840 – 25 October 1911) was a French horticulturalist, landscape designer, as well as a leading landscape architect of the late 19th century, famous for designing city parks and public spaces in Lithuania, ...

was a French collector/explorer whose many discoveries of bromeliads in the Cordilleras of South America would be influential on horticulturists to follow. He served as a source of inspiration to 20th-century collectors, in particular

Mulford B. Foster Mulford Bateman Foster (December 25, 1888 – August 28, 1978Foster Family Bible) was a botanist known by many as the "Father of the Bromeliad" as he was instrumental in the discovery and introduction of many new species of Bromeliad to the United ...

and Lyman Smith of the United States and

Werner Rauh Werner Rauh (16 May 1913 in Niemegk – 7 April 2000 in Heidelberg) was an internationally renowned German biologist, botanist and author. Biography Born in the town of Niemegk near Bitterfeld, Rauh studied at Biology faculty at the University of ...

of Germany and Michelle Jenkins of Australia.André, Édouard François. "Bromeliaceae Andreanae. Description et histoire des Bromeliacees recoltees dans La Colombie, L'Ecuador et Le Venezuela". Paris: Librairie Agricole; G. Masson, 1889

References

External links

The New Bromeliad Taxon List
A constantly updated list of current Bromeliad names and synonyms. * Luther, H. E. (2008
An Alphabetical List of Bromeliad Binomials, Eleventh EditionThe Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

. Published b
The Bromeliad Society International

Bromeliad care information

Bromeliad cultivar registry

The Brom-L Bromeliad Gallery
The Photo Gallery of the (Virtual) World Wide Web Bromeliad Society
Bromeliads of Chile
in Chileflora
Palm trees, small palms, Cycads, Bromeliads and tropical plants
Photos of Bromeliads and associated flora, with information on habitat and cultivation. {{Authority control Poales families

Description

Evolution

Radiation of Tillandsioideae and ''Hechtia''

Evolution of the Bromelioideae

Classification

Subfamilies

Genera

Hybrid genera

Gallery

Distribution and habitat

Ecology

Cultivation and uses

Collectors

See also

References

External links