A delightfully bizarre group of plants, the bromeliads have long starred in botanical garden exhibits, attracting attention with their brilliant blooms and their neat rosette; of foliage _often so shiny that they appeal to have been varnished.Many can be classed as succulents be cause they often store an emergency supply of water; not inside fleshy leaves as true succulents do, but in a natural, vase-shaped center formed by their durable foliage.Natives of the tropical forests of Central and South America, bromeliads fall into two distinct groups: terrestrials, which grow in soil or between rocks; and epiphytes, which are (like some orchid varieties) tree dwellers. Many of the plants in the second group can exist for long periods of time without roots, as long as they receive moisture from reservoirs in their leaf bases.Despite their exotic appearance and curious growth habits, bromeliads are considered to be exceptionally easy to grow.When you buy one of these ornamental members of the pineapple family, you may think it needs repotting. Not so. Root systems are limited and need little space, so the pot is always small and seemingly out of proportion to the size of the plant. Actually, roots are short hold fasts, which
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GARDENING UNDER LIGHTS – BROMELIADS