Vriesea splendens (Flaming Sword)

Vriesea splendens

Flaming Sword

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	Vriesea	Named for Dutch botanist and physician Willem Hendrik de Vriese
Species	splendens	Latin for “bright”

About plant names...

Flaming sword—what a cool name!—is native to eastern Venezuela and French Guiana. It is not found in the wild in North America.

Identification: This bromeliad is 24-36" (60-91 cm) high. It is an epiphyte, so it can live on rock or bark. It has leathery, straplike linear leaves that emerge from a common base. Leaves are 12-18" (30-45 cm) in length, and variegated or striped with maroon. Flaming sword is an apt name: flowers are crimson, on a narrow, erect, flattened spike, pointing straight up, looking like a Jedi knight’s lightsaber.

Online References:

Vriesea splendens on Forest and Kim Starr’s Starr Environmental site

Vriesea splendens on fcbs.org

Vriesea splendens at the Missouri Botanical Garden

Vriesea splendens on Plants are the Strangest People

Vriesea (genus) on fcbs.org

Vriesea splendens description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 12 Oct 2018.

4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Baltimore, MD
≈ 21 × 14" (52 × 34 cm)

4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Baltimore, MD
≈ 24 × 16" (62 × 41 cm)

Range: Zones 10-12:

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