Guzmania monostachia (West Indian Tufted Airplant)

Native to southern Florida, Mexico, the West Indies, Central America and tropical South America, this evergreen bromeliad grows as an epiphyte on trees. Its overlapping leaf bases form a tank that holds water. A central upright stalk carries a single, dense cylindrical flower spike. Its lower fertile bracts are pale green with darker green or reddish stripes, while the upper bracts can be rose, salmon, white, red or orange. The flowers are white and narrowly tubular, with only the petal tips spreading slightly. Florida populations appear capable of self-fertilization. It is endangered in Florida, where habitat loss, illegal collecting and the invasive Mexican bromeliad weevil threaten remaining populations. Photographed in Colombia.