Aechmea fasciata

Native to Brazil’s Atlantic forests, this evergreen perennial bromeliad grows on trees and reaches about 1 to 3 feet tall. Its leaves have distinctive silver bands and overlap to form a reservoir that collects rainwater. Small blue-purple flowers emerge among pink bracts, which remain colorful for months. Each rosette flowers only once, then gradually dies as new shoots develop at its base. Although widely cultivated, the species is listed as Vulnerable in Brazil because of habitat loss and degradation. It has naturalized in a swamp forest in Humacao, Puerto Rico. Photographed in the department of Quindio, Colombia.