Pitcairnia punicea

Pitcairnia punicea is a terrestrial bromeliad with long arching leaves and a tall flower stalk. Narrow scarlet flowers are spaced along the inflorescence, each extending from a pointed bract. The plant grows in warm humid conditions and anchors itself in soil or rocky substrates. Unlike tank-forming bromeliads, it grows from a terrestrial base and produces a comparatively open rosette of narrow leaves. Photographed in Florida.