Species library › Alcantarea › Alcantarea heloisae
Other Partly documented

Alcantarea heloisae

A rock-dwelling bromeliad from the granite and gneiss outcrops of northern Rio de Janeiro state. Like other Alcantarea it grows on exposed rock faces in strong sun, with warm humid summers and a drier winter, and is grown much like a sun-hardy tank bromeliad.

Alcantarea heloisae
Photo: Nico Nelson from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets 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

Alcantarea typically root into cracks and thin mats of vegetation on bare inselberg slopes, catching water in their leaf rosette. This follows the genus; species-level habitat notes are scarce.

220–1004 m, median 580 m.

Brazil Southeast

🔒 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 2.0 licence, unmodified.