Aechmea andersonii

Endemic to Bahia in northeastern Brazil, this compact perennial bromeliad grows on trees in moist Atlantic forests, including coastal forests on sandy soils. It reaches about 8 to 12 inches tall when flowering and spreads by slender creeping stems that produce new rosettes. Its flower stalk branches near the base, with a dense cluster at the top. Bright pink stalks and sepals surround tubular lavender-blue petals with darker tips and white margins. Each rosette flowers once, while new shoots continue the clump. Photographed in Florida.