Species · genus Aechmea · Bromeliaceae

Vase Bromeliad

Aechmea bracteata (Sw.) Griseb.

Growth habit

epiphyte

Native range

Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Nicaragua, Panamá, Venezuela

Reference · A. bracteata

Cultivars of A. bracteata

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under A. bracteata yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Aechmea bracteata is an epiphytic bromeliad from Central American and northern South American forests, growing on tree branches where its roots dry quickly and never sit wet. Give it bright indirect light and a fast-draining, airy mix, and water when the top inch of mix is dry, keeping a little soft water in the central cup but emptying and refreshing it to prevent stagnation. It rots if kept soggy, so err toward drier rather than wetter.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 14 days

Humidity

High

Temperature

15–30 °C

Soil mix

Loose, fast-draining bromeliad mix

Propagation

Offsets (pups) removed after flowering

Fertilizing

Dilute feed sparingly during active growth

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Branched, long-lasting inflorescence when mature

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Vase Bromeliad yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.