Order Bromeliales

Order Bromeliales

Bromeliads are in a group of their own. In Order Bromeliales there is just one Family (Bromeliaceae) which includes around 2,600 species. They range in size from tiny moss-like plants only a few centimetres tall, to plants over 4 metres tall with huge flowering stems. They are plants of the Americas and most grow in tropical regions. Many collect water in a cup-shaped rosette of leaves at the base of a short stem. The largest of these "tank" bromeliads can hold 20 litres of water. Most bromeliads are slow-growing and flower once when they are mature. After flowering the plant gradually dies down. [CH] {EN}