Did you know that pineapple (Ananas sativus) is a botanical rarity? I didn’t either until one day last April when my son, Dick’s pineapple plant, produced an exciting red-tinged bud from its center. Only two days before, when it was being watered, I threatened to move it outdoors to make room as it had done … Read more
Among the most charming pineapple’s colorful cousins are the impish Cryptanthus, known as earth stars for their starry white flowers peeping up from low-mounded rosettes of prickly-edged leaves. They possess all the virtues of the perfect modern house plant and are not costly or difficult culturally. Plant lovers or not, we’re all hungry for color … Read more
The members of the pineapple tribe are making a new mark in the world. This is not for culinary distinction but for the charm. Their hold lines and bizarre markings lend the decor of the modern home interior and, in mild climates, the garden. History of Pineapple The familiar pineapple (Ananas comosus) has been known … Read more
BILLBERGIA PYRAMIDALIS, an attractive and interesting member of the pineapple family, comes to us from Brazil. It is well known in Florida and California and it should be better known in the North as a window garden plant, for its stiff, bright green leaves endure the adverse conditions of the average home very well. Characteristics … Read more
For many generations, the Bromeliaceae, or “air plants” as they are better known, have been treasured members of greenhouse anti-conservatory collections. It is only in the recent years of pot plant development when orchitis is sold like geraniums, and saintpaulias are found on every window sill, that the ornamental and artistic beauties of the pineapple … Read more
The decorative use of plants is becoming more and more a part of home furnishing. Interiors have become more straightforward and practical, and accentuating plants should keep up with this trend. We need streamlined species of simple form whose beauty will blend with the modern building, the new well-lighted rooms, the masses of color, and … Read more
If your collection of house plants does — not include at least one Billbergia, you are missing the Spring bloom of one of the most exciting indoor plants. Billbergias are natives of Brazil and consist of numerous species. They are in the family of the bromeliads and are thus relatives of the pineapple and the … Read more
Bromeliads are as ultramodern in appearance as the United Nations buildings in New York, but they have been popular houseplants for a hundred years in Europe. The bromeliads are air plants, with such fascinating names as Aechmea, Vriesia, Billbergia, Tillandsia, Neoregelia, Cryptanthus and Guzmania. Their forms and flowers are as spectacular as their names. The … Read more
Vriesea splendens are native to Brazil and part of the bromeliad family. It is closely related to pineapples and Spanish moss. The plant leaves are long and thin, green with red or yellow stripes running down the middle. Its flowers are small and white, yellow, or red, growing in clusters at the end of the … Read more
Aechmea fasciata, commonly known as the silver vase plant or urn plant, is a species of flowering plant in the Bromeliaceae family. It is native to Brazil but can be found in many other tropical and subtropical regions. It is an epiphytic plant that grows on other plants or trees rather than in soil. The … Read more