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Species library › Alcantarea › Alcantarea geniculata
Other Well documented

Alcantarea geniculata

A large rock-dwelling bromeliad from the granite mountains of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, with an arching, zig-zag flower spike. It grows in strong sun on bare rock faces with humid summers and cooler, drier winters.

Alcantarea geniculata
Photo: User:BotBln, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night A clear drop at nightTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

Lithophytic on exposed granite and gneiss slopes in the Serra do Mar, as most Alcantarea are, rooting in crevices and thin mats of vegetation. Species-specific notes are limited; this follows the genus and the measured sites.

Recorded 763–1,100 m, median about 1,060 m.

Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.