''Billbergia nutans'', or Queen's-tears, is an

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 ...

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, ...

native to

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 ...

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

, and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref>Versieux, L.M., Wendt, T., Batista Louzada, R. & das Graças Lapa Wanderley, M. (2008 publ. 2009). Bromeliaceae da Cadeia do Espinhaço. Megadiversidade 4: 98-110. This plant is often used as an

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 ...

Varieties

Two varieties are recognized: #''Billbergia nutans'' var. ''nutans'' –

, and

#''Billbergia nutans'' var. ''schimperiana'' (Wittm. ex Baker) Mez –

Cultivars

* ''Billbergia'' 'Albertii' * ''Billbergia'' 'Baraquiniano-Nutans' * ''Billbergia'' 'Beadleberg' * ''Billbergia'' 'Blireiana' * ''Billbergia'' 'Candy' * ''Billbergia'' 'Carminea' * ''Billbergia'' 'Elvenia Slosson' * ''Billbergia'' 'Frau Pia Roesslein' * ''Billbergia'' 'Hoelscheriana' * ''Billbergia'' 'Intermedia' * ''Billbergia'' 'Ivey Meyer' * ''Billbergia'' 'Joseph Marechal' * ''Billbergia'' 'Kahibah' * ''Billbergia'' 'Leodiensis' * ''Billbergia'' 'Lissom' * ''Billbergia'' 'Marechalii' * ''Billbergia'' 'Morreniana' * ''Billbergia'' 'Pioupionii' * ''Billbergia'' 'Rosea' * ''Billbergia'' 'Rubro-Cyanea' * ''Billbergia'' 'Salmonea' * ''Billbergia'' 'Theodore L. Mead' * ''Billbergia'' 'Ultrajactensis' * ''Billbergia'' 'Vittato-Nutans' * ''Billbergia'' 'Wantenii' * ''Billbergia'' 'Windii' * ''Billbergia'' 'Worleana' * × ''Billmea'' 'Emma Francis Stewart'BSI Cultivar Registry
Retrieved 11 October 2009 * × ''Billnelia'' 'Fred Eichholtz' * × ''Billnelia'' 'Perringiana' * × ''Cryptbergia'' 'Mead' * × ''Cryptbergia'' 'Pinkie' * × ''Cryptbergia'' 'Red Burst' * × ''Cryptbergia'' 'Rubra' * × ''Neobergia'' 'Noddy' * × ''Neobergia'' 'Perneri' * × ''Nidbergia'' 'Chas Hodgson'

References

External links

photos nutans Epiphytes Flora of Brazil Flora of Argentina Flora of Paraguay Flora of Uruguay Plants described in 1869 Garden plants of South America {{Bromelioideae-stub