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Species library › Vriesea › Vriesea ensiformis
Other Well documented

Vriesea ensiformis

A medium-sized tank bromeliad from Brazil's Atlantic Forest, from Bahia south to Santa Catarina, with a flat, sword-shaped inflorescence of red bracts and yellow flowers. It grows mostly as an epiphyte in humid forest from sea level to about 900 m, and occasionally on rocks. It is a parent of many cultivars and is easy in cultivation given bright shade, warmth and water in the central cup.

Vriesea ensiformis
Photo: User:BotBln, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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 Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

Mostly an epiphyte on trunks and branches in dense humid Atlantic rainforest and secondary forest, often a couple of metres above ground; it is also recorded on rocks in semi-deciduous forest in Minas Gerais. Its overlapping leaf bases form a tank that collects rain and debris.

Herbarium specimens with elevations fall between sea level and about 900 m.

Brazil (Bahia)Brazil (Espírito Santo)Brazil (Minas Gerais)Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)Brazil (São Paulo)Brazil (Paraná)Brazil (Santa Catarina)

🔒 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.