Billbergia nutans (Queen's tears, "Yorakutsutsuananasu")

Japanese name: ヨウラクツツアナナス
Scientific name: Billbergia nutans

[Overview]
A perennial that grows epiphytically on trees.
12–15 leaves form a rosette; they are linear, 30–45 cm long and 1–1.3 cm wide, with fine serrations on the margins.
The undersides of the leaves are densely covered with powdery white scales.
The leaf bases overlap to form a short tube; in its native range, water collects here, and the plant grows by absorbing nutrients and moisture through the leaves as well.
The flower stalk arches and bears a raceme with 10–15 hanging flowers.
The flowers are green and 3-petaled; the petals are yellowish green with bluish purple edges and curve backward.
The calyx is pale pink with bluish purple edges.
The bracts are pink, 10–12 cm long, and wrap around the flower stalk.
The fruit is a berry.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by division.
Plant in sphagnum moss alone or in well-drained soil.
It can overwinter outdoors in regions without frost.
Grow it in sun to partial shade.
From spring to autumn, fill the tube formed by the leaves with water, pouring generously each time so that the water is replaced.
When temperatures begin to fall, turn the plant upside down to empty the water, and in winter water only the soil.
It is good to mist the leaves throughout the year.
Apply slow-release chemical fertilizer once every 2–3 months from spring to autumn.
Pests include scale insects and spider mites.

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