Genus · Bromeliaceae
Cryptanthus
2 species tracked in Horta’s catalog, and the named cultivars growers keep. Walk down to a species for its full care record, or into a cultivar for its traits and provenance.
Species in this genus
The ones growers meet most — each links to its own page.
Cryptanthus zonatus
Earth Star
An earth star: a flat, star-shaped bromeliad grown in soil rather than a water-holding cup, its stiff banded leaves patterned in waves of silver over bronze and green. GBIF treats the horticulturally familiar Cryptanthus fosterianus as a synonym of this species.
Cryptanthus bivittatus
Cryptanthus bivittatus is a terrestrial bromeliad, a low ground-dwelling rosette rather than a tank-forming epiphyte. Water into the mix when the top inch has dried, and let it approach dryness between waterings, as its shallow roots rot if kept wet. It wants bright indirect light and warm, humid air; a fast-draining, airy mix suits its nature best.
About the genus
A genus-level overview — shared traits, history, the botany that ties these plants together — is on its way. For now, the species and cultivars above and below carry the genus.
Notable cultivars across the genus
The named forms that draw people in — spanning species, and every level of how well we know them.
Kept true by its growers
Cryptanthus keeps evolving — species move, cultivars appear, IDs get corrected. If you can place an unplaced plant or add a species we’re missing, the whole genus gets truer.
Overview derived from 2 tracked species · the contribute flow arrives with the next slice.