Discussion

Bromeliaceae

My painting subject this week is bromeliad. However that term can be confusing. What many people think of when using the word, bromeliad, is something that looks like this.

That is really a Guzmania lingulata, or, as it is commonly known, scarlet star.

The word bromeliad is a shortened version of the name of the Bromeliaceae family of flowering plants which consists of about 80 genera, of which Guzmania is only one, and around 3,700 species. The Guzmania genus contains around 80 species, one of which is Guzmania lingulata.

This popular bromeliad food plant is a close relative of Guzmania.

Besides pineapple (Ananas comosus), another close relative is Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides). In spite of its name, it is not really a moss, and it doesn't come from Spain.

Yet another close relative is Puya raimondii. Known as the Queen of the Andes, it can grow up to 50 feet tall.

Species in the Tillandsia genus, also known as air plants, are all epiphytes. There are over 650 species in the Tillandsia genus.

Epiphytes have a natural tendency to hang onto any convenient surface for support--rocks, trees, telephone poles, etc.--without causing harm. Unlike plants like mistletoe, they are not parasitic. Epiphytes have specialized cells that absorb all the water and nutrients they need from the air, though not any place suits them. They prefer humid environments. Spanish moss and nearly all of the over 120 species in the Guzmania genus (215 including hybrids) are epiphytes, too. 

The Bromeliaceae family of plants come mostly from the tropical and sub-tropical Americas.

Guzmania

Guzmania are often referred to as tufted airplants. They are mainly stemless, evergreen, epiphytic perennials. Some Guzmania species are found up to nearly 11,500 feet in Andean rainforests. In spite of being called perennials, they usually live from 1 to 3 years, blossom just once any time of the year but most often in the winter and spring, then gradually die over the next few months. However as they die, they produce "pups" from which new generations of plants arise.

What we usually think of as the flowers of Guzmania species are really colorful bracts (modified leaves) surrounding modest, white, blossoms. The "flowers" as a whole can take many shapes. The plant below is a Guzmania conifera.

Here are Guzmania squarrosa.

This is a Guzmania monostachia.

Guzmania lingulata

As stated before, the first photo in this unit is a scarlet star (Guzmania lingulata). It is this week's painting subject. Along with most other Guzmania species, the scarlet star is an epiphyte. In the wild, it tends to look like this.

Though hard to see in this photo, the "flower" looks green. After it has matured a while, it looks like this.

Actually, it isn't the flower that has changed color, it is the bracts, modified leaves, that have changed color. The flower itself is the small and relatively unremarkable white object at the center.

Bracts naturally come in reds and orange colors, but other colors have become available through hybridization.

This is a good look at the entire plant.

Scarlet stars are the most popular house and garden plants among Guzmania species. They aren't edible for humans and aren't toxic for pets. Birds and insects are common pollinators, and they do produce seeds as well as pups for propagation.

When in bloom, they are simply nice to have around.