Aechmea fasciata (urn pine)

Aechmea fasciata (Lindl.) Baker

Urn pine

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Liliopsida	Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family
Subclass	Zingiberidae	Gingers and related plants
Order	Bromeliales	Bromeliads: tropical plants adapted to limited water, often epiphytes
Family	Bromeliaceae	Bromelias: tropical and subtropical plants, the best known being pineapple
Genus	Aechmea	Name means “spear” in Greek
Species	fasciata	Urn pine

About plant names...

Urn pine is a member of the bromeliad family, native to Brazil. They do not exist in the wild in North America.

Identification: This slow-growing plant grows to a height of 12-36" (30-91 cm), its roughly oval, silver-and-green leaves are 18-36" (45-91 cm) high and up to 24" (60 cm) around, forming the water-retaining “urn.” The showy flowers are 3-4" (7.6-10 cm) around, pink, with blue-purple tips. Spiny bracts are also pink. These plants can grow in the ground, or as epiphytes, growing in moss-covered nooks and crannies in trees.

Online References:

Aechmea fasciata on Dr. Giuseppe Mazza's PhotoMazza.com site

Aechmea fasciata on Wikipedia

Aechmea fasciata on Desert-tropicals.com

Aechmea fasciata at the University of Connecticut Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Plant Growth Facilities

Aechmea fasciata on CalPhotos

Aechmea fasciata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

9/7/2010 · Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston, MA
≈ 17 × 12" (44 × 29 cm)

9/7/2010 · Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston, MA
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 20 cm)

9/7/2010 · Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston, MA
≈ 15 × 10" (39 × 26 cm)

Range: Zones 10a-11:

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