Neoregelia spp.

neoregelia

Bromeliaceae

Atlantic forest of Brazil; tropical South America

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Hummingbirds Container Friendly

SunPart Shade

WaterMedium

HardinessZones 10–11

Overview

Neoregelia spp. is a genus of more than 100 species of evergreen epiphytic bromeliads in the family Bromeliaceae, native mainly to the Atlantic coastal forests of Brazil, with a few species elsewhere in South America. Plants form flattened, spreading rosettes of broad, strap-shaped leaves whose overlapping bases hold water in a central cup. The leaves are often glossy and may be banded, spotted, marbled, or striped, and in many species and hybrids the inner leaves around the cup flush bright red, pink, or purple as flowering nears. The flowers themselves are small and blue, white, or lavender and sit low in the water-filled center rather than rising on a spike. Each rosette flowers once and then produces offsets, called pups, around its base to continue the clump. As epiphytes, the plants grow on trees and rocks in humid forest and draw moisture and nutrients through their leaves and central cup. The genus needs warmth, humidity, and bright, indirect light, with the leaf color strongest in good light, and tolerates no frost. Neoregelia spp. is grown as a houseplant and, in frost-free gardens, mounted on bark or grown in fast-draining mix.

Native Range

Neoregelia spp. is native chiefly to the Atlantic rainforest of eastern Brazil, with a smaller number of species in other parts of tropical South America. Plants grow as epiphytes on trees and rocks in warm, humid, shaded to brightly lit forest.

Suggested Uses

Neoregelia spp. is grown as an indoor foliage plant and, in tropical and subtropical gardens, mounted on trees or massed as a colorful groundcover. The colored central rosettes are used for foliage display in shaded, humid spots.

How to Identify

Identify Neoregelia spp. by a flat, spreading rosette of broad strap leaves forming a central water-holding cup, often banded, spotted, or marbled. As flowering nears, the inner leaves around the cup flush red, pink, or purple, while the small flowers sit down in the water rather than on a spike. The low, colored center separates it from vase-shaped bromeliads such as Aechmea spp. and Guzmania spp..

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height4" - 1'4"

Width/Spread8" - 2'

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

red

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Neoregelia spp. flowers when a rosette matures, which in cultivation can come at almost any time of year, often in the warmer months. The small flowers are short-lived and low in the cup, but the surrounding inner leaves color up for weeks to months. The colored center is the main display rather than the flowers.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

Blue, white, or lavender

Foliage Description

Green, often banded or marbled; inner leaves red to pink

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunPartial Shade

Requires 2-5 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.0 - 6.5(Acidic)

357912

Soil Types

peat loam

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Frost Tolerance

tender

Time to Maturity

2-4 years to flowering

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Neoregelia spp. grows in bright, indirect light and warm temperatures above 50 F (10 C), with the leaf color richest in strong light and frost causing damage. It is grown in a coarse, fast-draining bromeliad or epiphyte mix, or mounted on bark, rather than dense soil. The central cup is kept topped up with water and flushed with fresh water now and then to prevent stagnation, while the potting mix is watered only as it nears dryness. Average to high humidity suits the genus, and light feeding through the growing season is enough, since the leaves take up most nutrients. After flowering, the parent rosette slowly declines and is removed once the pups have rooted.

Pruning

Neoregelia spp. needs little pruning. Spent flower remains are removed from the cup, browned leaf tips are trimmed, and the declining parent rosette is cut away once offsets have established. Pups are separated to propagate or to keep a clump in bounds.