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Species library › Cryptanthus › Cryptanthus acaulis
Other Partly documented

Cryptanthus acaulis

A stemless 'earth star' bromeliad endemic to Brazil's Atlantic Forest, grown for its flat rosettes of wavy leaves. It lives on the forest floor in warm, humid shade and dislikes cold and dry roots.

Cryptanthus acaulis
Photo: Tubifex, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry
Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Terrestrial on the floor of Atlantic coastal forest, in leaf litter under a closed or broken canopy. Built from the genus and range; species-specific detail is thin.

Records from 17–1106 m (median 811 m, 6 records); the coastal lowland records are most typical.

Rio de JaneiroEspírito SantoMinas GeraisBrazil

🔒 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.