Species · genus Billbergia · Bromeliaceae

Queen's-Tears

Billbergia nutans H.Wendl. ex Regel

Also known as: Friendship-plant

Growth habit

epiphyte or perennial

Native range

Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Paraguay, Uruguay

Reference · B. nutans

Cultivars of B. nutans

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

No named cultivars catalogued under B. nutans 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.

Billbergia nutans is a clumping epiphytic bromeliad from subtropical South America, growing on tree branches and rocks where its roots dry quickly between rains. Give it fast-draining mix and bright indirect light, and water when the top inch of mix feels dry, letting it approach dryness rather than sitting wet. As an epiphyte it rots if kept soggy, so favor airflow and err toward the dry side.

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

Medium

Temperature

13–27 °C

Soil mix

Loose, fast-draining bromeliad or orchid-style mix

Propagation

Separate offsets (pups) once well rooted

Fertilizing

Dilute feed monthly, applied to soil not the cup

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Arching pink-and-green flower spikes give the queen's-tears look

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 Queen's-Tears 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.