Neoregelia, Genus, spp., Multiple species,
- Genus
- Multiple species
neoregelia
Atlantic forest of Brazil; tropical South America
Overview
Neoregelia 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 is grown as a houseplant and, in frost-free gardens, mounted on bark or grown in fast-draining mix.
Native Range
Neoregelia 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 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
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height4" - 1'4"
Width/Spread8" - 2'
Bloom Information
Neoregelia 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 lavenderFoliage Description
Green, often banded or marbled; inner leaves red to pinkGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Needs bright indirect light. Keep it out of direct sun, which can scorch the leaves.
• Bright indirect light: a bright spot near a window, with no direct sun on the leaves
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Neoregelia 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 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.Container Growing
Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 1 gallons
