Scientific/Botanical Name:
Genus: Aechmea
Specie: A. fasciata
Variety/Cultivar:
English Name:
Common Name:
Silver-Vase, Urn Plant
Botanical Family:
Name in Latin: Bromeliaceae
Name in English: Bromeliad Family
The Plant
Origin: Brazil
Growth Habit: multi-stemmed shrub-An upright vase shaped exotic. The plant is densely branching at the base producing many stems that are 2 to 3 inches in diameter with 12 to 16 ribs.
Flower: long lasting pink flower with blue inflorescences makes a stunning contrast to the grey/green marbled leaves
Blooming Period: The numerous narrow tubular flowers appear nearly year round.
Leaf: elliptic–oval-shaped leaves that are between 18 and 36 inches long and arranged in a basal rosette pattern.
Usage:
used like a house plant
Care and Handling
Soil: well-drained, but moisture-retentive soil. Add peat moss to an equal volume of general house plant mix for a humus and well drained combination.
Amount of water: Keep water in central cup formed by leafy rosette.
Nutrition: Fertilize every 1-2 months, applied to the soil. Or fill the cup with half-strength dilution of fertilizer every month.
Special handling: It can also be grown epiphytically, as, for example, with moss around its roots and wired to rough bark.
Special feature/remarks:
Most Bromeliads will flower naturally when they reach maturity; they can also be made to flower by supplying the substances which begin bud formation: for example, enclose the entire plant ( with its cup empty of water to prevent excessive humidity buildup) in a plastic bag together with a ripe apple. The apple gives off ethylene gas which stimulates flowering in Bromeliads. Leave plant and apple in the plastic bag for 7-10 days; f lower will appear in 1-2 months. After flowering, Bromeliads produce side shoots (offsets), which may be removed while young and rooted for additional plants.