How to Identify Bromeliad Flowers
The bromeliad is a tropical plant commonly grown outdoors and indoors because of its colorful flowers, foliage and flower spike (scape). Bromeliads have the distinct ability to grow as epiphytes, which means that they grow on other plants like tree trunks, but they can also grow as terrestrials, in the soil. With over 3,000 species, the bromeliad is potentially difficult to name, but you have the option to note the particular traits of the plant to successfully identify a bromeliad flower. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Look at how the flower grows on the plant in question. Most flowering bromeliads produce blossoms on top of the scape located in the middle of the plant's leaves, which are arranged in a circular arrangement (rosette).
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Examine the upper leaves of the bromeliad plant to see if they change color, which indicates that it is about to bloom a flower. The top parts of the Tillandsia ionantha leaves, for instance, become pink before the dark bluish-purple flowers emerge.
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Inspect the leaf-like plant parts (scape bracts) below the flower to note the colors. Bromeliad species like the Guzmania lingulata have reddish-pink bracts that form under a cluster of small, white flowers.
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Check the number of bromeliad flowers that you see growing at one time. Some varieties produce a single blossom on the scape, while others, like the Guzmania, grow groups of yellow, red and white flowers.
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Measure the height and spread of the flowering bromeliad plant to help pinpoint the variety. For example, the Vriesea splendens grows up to 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide.
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