The flaming sword bromeliad is a flowering plant that belongs to the vriesea genus and Bromeliaceae family. Like other bromeliads, this species has a rosette of leaves and a cup or vase in the center which has to be filled with water regularly.
Many bromeliads can grow out of hand (that’s fine outdoors and can be a pain indoors), but fortunately, the splendens keep its maximum growth size quite manageable ( height 2 ft – diameter 1½ ft) which is why it’s a popular house plant.
Caring for these is not difficult, just different from other plants because they only require the center vase to be watered and not the soil. In fact, in their natural habitat, they do not need soil and will grow on trees. The roots are very small on this plant compared to most house plants and do not take water and nutrients from the root system.
Flowering: Vriesea splendens are in no rush to bloom flowers for you and need patience. This obviously depends on the age of the plant when a grower receives it. Grown from a pup it can take a few years or possibly less in ideal conditions. I find the bract is the most attractive part of the flowering process rather than the small tubular greenish-yellow flowers that appear.
Once the flowers have bloomed (which can last for a few months) and begin to die the plant will also die. The middle section of the plant will produce offsets that can be re-potted or placed on a bromeliad tree. These plants are potted for a place to sit rather than the soil, which is why they can be planted on a bromeliad tree (a large tree branch that can be used indoors).
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