Bromelia (genus)

Japanese name: ブロメリア
Scientific name: Bromelia

[Overview]
An evergreen perennial that grows in forests and rocky places, usually on the ground and rarely as an epiphyte.
It has rhizomes and forms colonies by sending out suckers.
The leaves form a rosette; they are linear to elliptic and stiff, with curved spines lined along the margins.
The flower stalk is erect and bears a cylindrical or conical inflorescence.
The bracts on the flower stalk are almost the same shape as the leaves but small, and red at the base.
An involucre is borne on the flower axis, and a floral bract at the base of each flower.
The flowers are small; the corolla and calyx are deeply to fully 3-lobed, and there are 6 stamens.
The fruit is a relatively large berry.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by division.
A temperature of 13°C or higher is safe for overwintering.
It prefers sun, good drainage, and humus-rich, neutral to acidic soil.
Direct sunlight in summer causes leaf scorch, so keep it in partial shade in summer.
From spring to autumn, water thoroughly when the surface of the potting medium dries, and keep it on the dry side in winter.
From spring to autumn, apply slow-release fertilizer once every 2–3 months.
Pests include scale insects.

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