Species · genus Cryptanthus · Bromeliaceae

Earth Star

Cryptanthus zonatus (Lem.) Vis.

Growth habit
flat star-shaped terrestrial bromeliad rosette
Native range
eastern Brazil (Atlantic Forest)
Reference · C. zonatus

Cultivars of C. zonatus

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

Guide

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

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.

Care recipe

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

Care notes drawn from cited sources
Light
retail care guidance (growswithlove.com): bright indirect; gentle morning sun deepens color
Water
retail care guidance (growswithlove.com): keep soil lightly and evenly moist — a terrestrial bromeliad, not a succulent
Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 7 days

Humidity

Not documented

Temperature

Not documented

Soil mix

Not documented

Propagation

Not documented

Fertilizing

Not documented

Growth rate

Not documented

Flowering

Not documented

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.

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Sources: retail care guidance (growswithlove.com): bright indirect; gentle morning sun deepens color · retail care guidance (growswithlove.com): keep soil lightly and evenly moist — a terrestrial bromeliad, not a succulent · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptanthus_zonatus + growswithlove.com listing

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Earth Star yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.

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