Species · genus Guzmania · Bromeliaceae

Droophead Tufted Airplant

Guzmania lingulata (L.) Mez

Also known as: Scarlet-star

Growth habit

perennial or epiphyte

Native range

Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil West-Central, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Mexico Southeast, Nicaragua, Panamá, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is.

Reference · G. lingulata

Cultivars of G. lingulata

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

No named cultivars catalogued under G. lingulata 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.

An epiphytic bromeliad from tropical Central and South American forests, growing on branches in bright, filtered light with steady humidity and good airflow. Its roots anchor more than they drink, so let the loose, fast-draining mix approach dryness before watering — water when the top inch is dry, and keep it out of direct sun, which scorches the foliage. As an epiphyte it rots if left sitting wet, so favor airflow and never let it stand in soggy mix.

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 7-12d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 12 days

Humidity

High

Temperature

15–27 °C

Soil mix

Loose, bark-based epiphyte or orchid-style mix

Propagation

Offsets (pups) separated after flowering

Fertilizing

Weak feed to soil and central cup during growth

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Long-lasting scarlet bracts; blooms once, then offsets

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 7-12d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Droophead Tufted Airplant 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.