Aechmea maculata

Native to Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil, this plant is an evergreen perennial bromeliad that can grow on trees. Its strap-shaped leaves form a rosette, with spiny edges and purple spotting near their bases. An upright stalk carries a dense, cylindrical cluster of small yellow flowers. Pink bracts, which are modified leaves, spread beneath the flower cluster. The cluster has a white, woolly coating, while the small bracts around individual flowers have notched tips. These notched bracts and bright yellow petals help distinguish it from similar bromeliads. Photographed in Florida.