The largest bromeliad is Puya raimondii, which reaches 3–4 m tall in vegetative growth with a flower spike 9–10 m tall, and the smallest is probably Spanish moss.
Humans have been using bromeliads for thousands of years. The Incas, Aztecs, Maya and others used them for food, protection, fiber and ceremony, just as they are still used today.
Only one bromeliad, the pineapple (Ananas comosus), is a commercially important food crop.
Most bromeliads are epiphytic - that is they grow supported on other plants but without harming their hosts by abstracting nutrients from them as a parasite would.
Bromeliads don’t have one typical flower. Instead, they produce an array of smaller flowers on spikes or inflorescences or in rosette shapes.
Most bromeliads only bloom once. The plants grow by adding new leaves from the center. It cannot continue to grow once the inflorescence blocks its way. Instead, the plant directs its energies into new offshoots, called pups.
Only one bromeliad, the pineapple (Ananas comosus), is a commercially important food crop.
Bromeliads don’t have one typical flower. Instead, they produce an array of smaller flowers on spikes or inflorescences or in rosette shapes.
Most bromeliads only bloom once. The plants grow by adding new leaves from the center. It cannot continue to grow once the inflorescence blocks its way. Instead, the plant directs its energies into new offshoots, called pups.
