Hohenbergia stellata

Native to parts of the Caribbean and tropical South America, this large perennial bromeliad forms a leafy green rosette and can grow as an epiphyte. Mature cultivated plants commonly approach three feet tall. A prominent flowering stalk carries numerous compact, cone-like branches arranged in clusters. The pink to bright red coloring of the flowering structure remains ornamental for an extended period. Forms vary across the species’ range, including differences in the arrangement and coloring of their flowering branches. It is cultivated in warm gardens and botanical collections. Photographed in Colombia.