Flaming Torch Bromeliad
Location
Bromeliad Island
- Common name: Flaming Torch Bromeliad
- Scientific name: Billbergia pyramidalis
- Family name: Bromeliaceae
- Origin: South America
- Height: 12-18 inches
- Width: 18-24 inches
- Growth: Slow
- Zone: 9b-11
- Light needs: Part shade
- Salt tolerance: Moderate
- Soil/pH/Texture: Epiphytic, so it does not require soil – can be planted in well-drained soil, a soil-less substrate, or on trees – acidic to alkaline (pH 6.0-8.0)
- Moisture: Absorbs water through its cup formed in the center of the rosette – this cup should be flushed out every once in a while, to avoid stagnation.
- Drought tolerance: High
- Pests/Diseases: Mosquitoes and scale may breed in the central cup.
- Growing conditions: Grows best in a shady and humid area. Flaming Torch Bromeliad is a very low-maintenance plant, and can be grown in or on many different substrates, including trees. It’s important that it has water in its rosette cup, and that it doesn’t get too much sun, which may scorch its leaves.
- Characteristics: Leaves are long, tubular, smooth, and shiny green, arranged in a rosette pattern forming a cup-like shape. The flowers are very showy, blooming in a spade-like shape in shades of coral red and sometimes orange. This flower cluster emerges from the center of the plant.
- Propagation: By offsets
- Wildlife: The water cup may be home to mosquitoes or a frog.
- Facts: Flaming Torch Bromelia gets its name from the shape and colors of its flowers, which resembles a torch.
- Designer considerations: Its showy flowers and low-maintenance make it a great landscape plant or mass planting. Additionally, it can be planted on trees to add a splash of color.