Aechmea
These plants are found in tropical America. They can be raised in the hot house or home. The bloom mostly in the summer and fall and they need a minimum winter temperature of 55 degrees when grown under glass. Their leathery leaves have spines around the perimeters and as they grow directly from the base they overlap each other to form a long tube from which the flower spike emerges. Some have scarlet and blue flowers, some have pink flower heads with blue flowers and some have red, yellow and black flowers. The foliage also may have variegated colors such as maroon and green, green with white stripes, or completely red. They can grow up to 12 inches long.
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