Androlepis skinneri

Native from southern Mexico into Central America, this large perennial bromeliad grows as an epiphyte in wet tropical habitats. Long, strap-shaped leaves with densely toothed margins form a substantial rosette. An upright flowering stalk carries a dense, branched cluster, with a pale, powdery covering on the stalk and nearby structures. Its small flowers have yellow petals. Male and female flowers grow on separate plants, an unusual feature among its close bromeliad relatives. Flowering plants can reach about 3 to 6 feet tall, and the species is grown in tropical botanical collections. Photographed in Colombia.