Online Bromeliad Plants


a typical bromeliad plantWelcome to Bromeliad Plants we hope you will enjoy all the information we have to offer. This website has been created for both bromeliad fanciers and those just getting to know this diverse group of garden plants.

Bromeliads are a botanical family of many thousands of individual species. The exact number is somewhere above 2,500 types. There are also a multitude of natural and cultivated hybrids and species varieties. Some of these have been recorded and registered, but there is also a prolific number of non documented bromeliads.

Bromeliad Description


The diversity of these plants is astonishing. Foliage takes on forms from needle thin to wide and flat. Some broms have spiked margins while others are smooth. The surface may be glossy, matte or soft and fuzzy if covered in trichomes or skirf. Bromeliad foliage is recognised as displaying the widest variation in colour and pattern amongst all the botanical families of the plant world. The varied flower forms can also be beautifully coloured in different shades.

What these plants frequently do have in common is a rosette shaped form. New leaves grow from the centre of the plant and radiate outward in a fairly uniform way. This can vary from being tubular overall such as in a Billbergia to wide and flat as seen in cryptanthus.

Native Environemant


The origins of the bromeliad plants lie in the Americas with the vast majority found in South America. Brazil is a hotspot for members of the Bromeliaceae family with some species also found wild in North American regions such as Florida. One exception is Pitcairnia feliciana which is the only bromeliad native to Africa.

Many people think of bromeliads as tropical plants and this is partly correct. While many are from these areas there are also bromeliads to be found in the dessert and up to altitudes of 4200 meters. The exact part of the environment they they are native to can also vary. Most are epiphytes accustomed to tree dwelling by design but there are others which are terrestrial ground growers or rock hugging lithophytes.

Plant Care


Individual genera and species have made adaptations that can be identified. This information can also be used to best care for that particular bromeliad. An example is the water storage area or tank formed in the heart of many bromeliad plants. These plants are designed to receive and make best use of rainfall. Therefore in the garden environment they can be watered intermittently in warm weather as the stored water can meet their needs. This is typical of such genera as the Neoregelias, Aechmeas and Billbergias.

Epiphytic Tillandsia bromeliads use a different approach to water. Their grey green leaves incorporate specialised trichome cells that can absorb the moisture from air humidity. Leaving water in the leaves of these broms is not reccommended as it was not how they evolved in their habitat.

Plant Size


Though many are somewhat familiar with the size of Neoregelias and Tillandsias there are also other extremes. Spanish moss may be the smallest plant when divided individually but the largest bromeliad overall is a Puya species. Puya raymondii sports a flower spike that grows to a colosal 10 meters in height. Many alcantareas are also quite large and can grow to several meters in width and height.

Flowering & Reproduction


These plants are monocots placing them in the botanical pyramid with grasses and other plants that emerge from their seed with only one leaf. All bromeliads flower but they are monocarpic meaning they only flower once before the plant begins its decline. The good news is they produce offset plants or pups that can replace and multiply the mother plant.

Find Out More


This is a brief introduction to the fascinating world of bromeliad plants. On this website you can find more detailed information on specific bromeliad genera and species. Bromeliad pictures are also included to help illusrate the beauty of these plants.