Scientific/Botanical Name:
Genus: Vriesea
Specie: V. poelmanii
Variety/Cultivar:
English Name:
Common Name:
red sword
Botanical Family:
Name in Latin: Bromeliaceae
Name in English: The Bromeliad Family
The Plant
Origin: Trinidad and northwest South America
Growth Habit: epiphytic plants that grow on rocks or other plants for support, and obtain nutrients from the air and rain.
Flower: The flower spikes (red) are emerging from the rosettes of leaves (bottom).
Blooming Period:
Leaf: leathery leaves with fine striping,
Usage:
ornamental plant
Care and Handling
Soil: These are epiphytes, but can be potted in a rapid draining mix.
Amount of water: keep central cup full. Change water frequently with spring water.
Nutrition: Very sparingly, in the center cup. Use liquid fertilizer.
Special handling: vriesea are propagated by separating offsets from the mother plant. However, some of the more popular varieties, including the sword plant, send their pups from the base of the flower stalk, as opposed to the more common side shoot. This makes collecting the offset harder, so you should wait until it's more established.
Special feature/remarks:
Most are also epiphytic plants that grow on rocks or other plants for support, and obtain nutrients from the air and rain. Vriesea 'Poelmanii', a cross between Vriesea 'Gloriosa' and Vriesea 'Vangeertii', has a full rosette of light green leaves. Vriesea are fairly typical bromeliads. They can be grown in stronger shade conditions than many other kinds of bromeliads, and their size varies from medium to fairly large.