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Indoor plants of the bromeliad family. bromeliad houseplants

Bromeliads are one of the largest families, containing over 2,000 species. These plants have mastered both tropical rainforests and deserts, rocks and coastal sea sands. Therefore, it is very difficult to recommend care that would be suitable for all bromeliads without exception. Depending on the habitat, bromeliads are divided into three main groups.

Reservoir bromeliads.

Among reservoir bromeliads, there are many plants with beautifully and unusually colored foliage and (or) bright inflorescences. These include: vriesia, gusmania, cryptanthus, neoregelia, blue tillandsia, echmea.

These plants form a funnel-shaped rosette of narrow leathery leaves, from the center of which an inflorescence rises on a high peduncle. The leaves of the rosette fit so tightly to each other that they form a kind of reservoir in which water accumulates.

Most of the plants in this group are native to the American jungle, where they grow on trees or on the forest floor. The roots play mainly the role of an anchor that holds the epiphyte to the tree. Before flowering, the rosette develops for several years, the flowering itself can last for several months, after which the mother rosette dies and is replaced by lateral shoots growing at the base. In most cases, the attractive bracts give the inflorescence attractiveness, since the flowers themselves are small and short-lived.

One of the features of the care of reservoir bromeliads is in the method of watering:

you need to pour soft water into the funnel formed by the leaves, and only then slightly moisten the surface of the earth. However, in room conditions water should not be allowed to remain in it for a long time, otherwise the leaves may rot, especially when the temperature drops.

The roots should be in a loose, but moisture-absorbing substrate. A mixture of crushed pine bark, leafy soil, sphagnum and sand (2:2:1:1) can be recommended. Epiphytic bromeliads have a weak root system, so the plants are planted so that they sit stably in the substrate. Overfeeding or waterlogging of the soil is disastrous for plants.

atmospheric bromeliads.

They settle at the ends of tree branches, on the thorns of large cacti, etc. Their roots are very poorly developed or not developed at all. Leaves of bright colors do not exist, and the shape of plants is very diverse.

The most common plants in this group are gray tillandsias. Atmospheric bromeliads obtain water from raindrops, dew or fog that settle on the leaves. They get their batteries from dust particles deposited on the leaves.

They are not watered, but sprayed with very soft water from a spray bottle. Atmospheric bromeliads, as a rule, receive a lot of light, but not direct, but diffused. Atmospheric bromeliads do not need a special earthen substrate, it is enough to fix them well on a dry tree branch or a decorative stand.

Ground bromeliads.

The main absorbing organ of terrestrial bromeliads is the root, and in terms of care they are not much different from other indoor plants. Leaf tissues, especially those of desert species, can accumulate water, so they are fleshy, often shiny and smooth, without scales.

Watered them moderately, without waterlogging the substrate. The water must be soft. The substrate for terrestrial bromeliads consists of leafy soil, humus, crushed pine bark, and coarse sand (4:2:1:1).

light requirements depend on growing conditions in their home country. Pineapples need sun, while terrestrial cryptanthus (Otto cryptanthus) need shade.

It takes patience and skill to make bromeliads bloom, but caring for ornamental leaves and already flowering plants easy enough.

Basic rules of care for plants of the bromeliad family are as follows:

• For the transition to flowering, a high (+ 25 ° C and above) temperature is needed, for already flowering or ornamental plants it is quite moderate, but not lower than + 12 ° C. Artificially stimulate flowering right time can be small doses of ethylene. Since ethylene is released by ripening fruits, it is enough to take a bunch of bananas and a pot of plant and wrap them in plastic bag to keep the ethylene from escaping.

• Most bromeliads need bright light away from direct sunlight. Pineapple requires direct sunlight.

• They do not tolerate waterlogged substrate and need good drainage. The central funnel must be constantly filled with water, in areas with hard water, rainwater should be used. Change the water in the funnel every two months. The soil should be watered only when dry. In species that do not form rosettes of leaves, the ground should be moist, but in no case waterlogged.

• Require foliar spraying in summer. The usual way top dressing - through the leaves, so sometimes replace the water in the sprayer with a liquid top dressing.

• Bromeliads in nature are practically devoid of an abundance of nutrients. Fertilizers use only mineral fertilizers at a concentration 5-6 times lower than recommended for other plants and completely exclude calcium. A transplant is rarely needed or not needed at all.

• Propagated by shoots formed at the base of the plant. It is necessary to wait some time after the death of the central outlet of the formation of lateral shoots. A shoot at the age of several months is transplanted into a light substrate and kept warm until rooting.

Most common cause bad condition bromeliads in culture - improper care. So, in the summer, almost all species need shading. If this has not been observed, then pale brown burn spots will appear on the leaves. The tips of the leaves dry out from low air humidity, and the roots rot from waterlogging of the substrate. Hard water can also cause leaf tips to dry out. Bromeliads are affected by scale insects and worms.

Traditionally, bromeliads are grown in peat soil in small pots with drainage holes. A new way to grow and display these plants in the home is the "bromeliad tree".

To make a "bromeliad tree" you need to strengthen the selected pretty snag in a container with gypsum and stones, and decoratively cover it with small pebbles on top. For placement on the "tree" choose plants with a well-defined funnel-shaped rosette. Selected plants must be removed from the pots, their roots wrapped in sphagnum moss and tied to the branches of driftwood with wire in polymer insulation. 1-2 plants can be planted in a container at the foot of a driftwood, also wrapping their roots in moss, or dig in pots. The rosettes of the plants must be constantly filled with water, and once a week the moss in which the roots are wrapped must be sprayed. Together with bromeliads, other epiphytic plants can be placed on the "tree" in the same way. At the ends of the driftwood, to enhance the effect, you can place Tillandsia usnea - "Louisiana moss", which forms gray-green strands hanging down. This plant does not need watering.

Family members:

The desire to grow some original, exotic flower on his own windowsill visits every amateur - flower grower. Fortunately, now there is such an opportunity. Among the relatives of pineapple, one species fascinates with its unusualness.

Its name is bromeliad, which it owes to the Swede Olaf Bromelius, who was fond of botany and was engaged in healing. This bright flower grows in our temperate climate. You just need to take care of a suitable microclimate for growing. Our overseas guest comes from Latin America, so we need to create neither more nor less than a mini tropical climate for cultivating the plant.

Description of bromeliad

The bromeliad family, to which the flower belongs, according to the information base The Piant List, has over 60 species. Among them there are both ground-type bromeliads and epiphytes. Several types of plants are specially cultivated for the extraction of fiber. For local residents, wild bromeliad fruits are a source of food and a product for obtaining soft drinks.

For breeding at home, only terrestrial species of bromeliad are used. Its leaves are very dense, hard and fleshy, have a lancet shape. A neat rosette of leaves is crowned with a flower stalk very bright color. The shape of the inflorescence can be a head or panicle. All known species families are united under the name: "bromeliad mix".

Growing conditions

The vegetation of the plant is significantly affected by humidity and light. A good idea to increase the moisture content in a room is to install an aquarium. You can go the other way - get special humidifier air.

As for lighting, it is very important to avoid direct sunlight on the surface of the leaves in spring-summer time. The rays cause a burn of the leaf plate. This trouble can be avoided if you choose a room with windows to the east. In the winter season and late autumn, due to lack of solar energy, it is recommended to use a specialized phytolamp.

When the lamp is turned on, the light is concentrated on the ceiling. Bromeliads are contraindicated in drafts. It is advisable to do without air conditioning or a fan in the room where the flower is located.

How to care for bromeliads at home

Taking care of bromeliads is easy if:

• suitable soil is selected for it;
• mineral organic matter is introduced in a timely manner;
• humidity, illumination meet all requirements;
• the plant itself is regularly irrigated.

Creating a plant comfortable conditions, easily get an unusually bright, lush, long-blooming bromeliad. Below we will describe in detail all the intricacies of caring for a plant.

soil for the plant

Due to the fact that bromeliad prefers an acidic pH environment, the whim of this beauty should be fulfilled. It is forbidden to take soil from the garden. It is better to purchase a ready-made substrate. Take, for example, a mixture for cultivating orchids, adding a little sand and peat.

We must not forget that the plant loves light, well-drained soil. It is good to lay a thin layer of expanded clay on the bottom before filling the substrate into the pot, improving the drainage properties of the soil.

The temperature that will be most acceptable for the life of the "Hispanic".
As a representative of tropical countries, bromeliad loves warmth, needs it. Temperatures below + 12 ° C are detrimental to the plant. Therefore, in cold period temperature cannot be ignored. It is necessary to maintain not lower than +16..+18°C. Mode +23.. +25°C is the most comfortable for bromeliads.

How to water bromeliad, air humidity

• The flower is very sensitive to lack of water, so frequent (daily) through the pallet in summer heat only welcome.
• With the onset of cold weather, watering is reduced to 1-2 times a week.
• In order to avoid an excess of moisture, which causes acidification of the soil, it is necessary to deal with the drying of its upper layer. At this stage, they switch to pallet irrigation.
• To prevent the rapid evaporation of water from the pan, a certain amount of sand or pebbles is placed there, moistening them periodically.
• Hard water is not suitable for bromeliads. It is better to moisten the soil with cooled boiled water.

Bromeliads are very fond of spraying in summer period. Its role is important, since partial absorption of nutrients occurs through the rosette of the flower. Do not deliberately fill the outlet with water. From this, it will rot, which will cause the death of the plant. It is enough to lightly sprinkle the leaves with water. Spraying should be stopped when the temperature drops. environment up to + 18°С. Once a month, cleaning the flower outlet is recommended.

The humidity index, where the bromeliad is located, should be at least 70%. In case of violation, measures are urgently taken to increase humidity. Do it as follows: spray water around the plant with a spray bottle. Or install an additional container with liquid near the flower pot.

Undoubtedly, an accident and a pallet of wet sand will help rid the room of unwanted dryness. Like any plant, bromeliads get their oxygen through their leaves, which is why it's so important to keep them clean. One wet rubbing per week will be enough to eliminate oxygen starvation of the flower.

top dressing

• For top dressing, liquid fertilizers are used, specially designed for indoor plants.
• Root top dressing involves watering the earth around the flower, foliar top dressing is the spraying of diluted fertilizer over the leaves and rosette of bromeliad.
• Often, once a decade, top dressing is carried out in the summer and during the flowering period. The rest of the time - 1 time in 2 months.

How to transplant bromeliad after purchase

Bromeliads do not like transplants. Without urgent need, do not disturb the flower in vain. You can transplant it to another place in the only case: if the purchased pot of bromeliad is too small.
Transfer procedure:

• prepare a large pot;
• buy or independently prepare the soil;
  pour the soil into the pot, making a recess for planting the plant;
• moisten the landing site with plenty of water and carefully transfer the flower there. Do not shake off the earth from the roots from the previous pot;
• add a little soil, lightly tamping it down to give the plant a stable position.

When does the bromeliad bloom?

Bromeliads usually bloom in summer. It is customary to call it the modified upper leaves, which complement the very inconspicuous-looking flowers.

With one little trick, you can speed up the start of flowering bromeliads. To do this, a pot of bromeliads is placed in a large plastic bag, a plate of apples is placed next to it. Ten days will be enough to stimulate the plant to bloom a little earlier with this method.

The secret lies in the ethylene that apples emit. Under its influence, bromeliad "confuses" all the timing of flowering. Blooming, the plant does not require heightened attention. It is only necessary to put it under control so that the light and moisture are in sufficient quantities. Then flowering from 3 weeks to 2 months will be guaranteed. Bromeliad has one peculiarity: it blooms only once in its life. Dying, the rosette leaves numerous children, which are the breeding material of this Tropican.

Breeding bromeliads How to plant babies video Bromeliad has faded what to do next

After flowering in the area of ​​​​the base of the outlet, babies or kicks hatch - this is the name of young shoots that need to be allowed to get stronger and after 2-3 months, with the help of sharp knife, cutting down. The cut point should be treated with finely crushed charcoal and dried, using for some time only pallet watering for the cut plant.

• Young shoots are planted immediately in the ground, as they already have their own root system.
• A favorable period for breeding bromeliads is the end of February - the beginning of April.
• The soil for planting young shoots is prepared in a special way: sand and peat are mixed in half.
• When carrying out planting work, the earth is strongly moistened.
• Within 2 months, seedlings take root. At this time, they monitor their watering, preventing waterlogging of the soil.
• Also control the ambient temperature, which is maintained at +20°C.
• Young plants bloom approximately 2 years after planting.

Bromeliad care at home after flowering

After the rosette is cut, the flower continues to be watered through the pan and cared for in the usual way. The plant has lost its decorative effect, but over time the leaves will close the cut. You can transplant the mother bush into a larger pot: this will stimulate further growth green mass, but you should not hope to see flowering a second time: the beauty blooms only once in a lifetime.

Diseases and pests of bromeliad

Proper care always brings beneficial results. But what if the ends of the leaves are covered brown spots Or does a leaf dry out completely? This is a sign of non-compliance with plant care requirements. The reason for drying lies in the irregularity of watering, or the humidity in the room is greatly underestimated.

The exoticism of bromeliads, especially during the flowering period, cannot leave anyone indifferent. What do we know about bromeliads? This is one of the largest families of flowering plants, which has 46 genera and more than 2500 species.

Truly amazing flowers forms bromeliad, guzmania, vriesia .., which is one of the innermost secrets flora. The value of bromeliads, in addition to the unpretentiousness of some species, lies in the fact that most of them bloom in the winter.

Is bromeliad a family or a separate genus?

Bromeliad (lat. Bromelia) - is considered a separate genus of plants of the Bromeliaceae family (Bromeliaceae), which includes about 50 species growing in the tropical regions of America. This genus is named after the Swedish physician and botanist Olaf Bromelius (1639-1705).

Species of the genus are terrestrial herbs with a rosette of stiff leaves and bright flowers collected in heads or panicles. Bromeliads are predominantly red and pink in color. In the course of cultivation and painstaking selection work, the palette has expanded significantly: white, yellow, orange, purple, bright scarlet have been added to it, there is already a two-color Bromeliad (pink-lilac flowers) ...

At the 16th International Exhibition "Flowers-2009" in Russia, the Dutch presented a garden bromeliad "able" to withstand wintering at minus 20°C.

A bright colorful bromeliad flower is a welcome guest in our home. Its countless subspecies easily take root in the garden, decorating it with their flowering until the end of autumn (if it is warm). Bromeliad pleases the eye with its delightful beauty and justifies all our efforts expended in caring for it. Bromeliad blooms in its life only once, after flowering mother plant dies off, but with appropriate care leaves behind a small group of "children", which are subsequently planted.

Some types of bromeliad are sometimes cultivated for fiber. The fruits of the wild-growing Bromelia pinguin are eaten by local residents and are also used to make soft drinks.

Variety of bromeliads

Bromeliads have mastered both tropical rainforests and deserts, rocks and coastal sea sands. In nature, they require a minimum of soil and very little light, so representatives of this family feel great in rooms. Almost all bromeliads are herbaceous plants, most of them have a shortened stem.

Various species can be conditionally divided into epiphytic and terrestrial. Most often found at home are reservoir epiphytic bromeliads, such as guzmania, echmea, vriesia, bromeliad. Thanks to the grooved shape of the leaves, water flows easily into the funnel during rains. They should be cared for in the same way as other plants of this group.

Of the terrestrial species of this family, the most famous is the crested pineapple. The root system of terrestrial bromeliads absorbs water and nutrients and anchors the plant in the soil. In epiphytic plants, the function of the roots as organs of nutrition and water supply is lost and transferred to the leaves. In some species of bromeliads, the roots do not have contact with the soil and end in the axils of the leaves. In other epiphytes, strong roots, due to the release of a special substance, fix the plant so tightly that it can be difficult to tear them off smooth trunks or stones.

There is another biological type from the same epiphytic plants, called "atmospheric" bromeliads. In these species, the rosette of leaves is not adapted to collect water. Adsorbent scales, densely located on the leaves, absorb moisture and nutrients from the air, due to fogs and dust. During the dry season, the scales fill with air and acquire a silvery color. The scale works on the principle of a water pump. In dry air, the cells are folded in the form of an accordion. With moist air, water is quickly absorbed and enters the water pumping tissue. The scales protect the leaves from overheating and drying out by reflecting sunlight.

An example of this group is the Louisiana moss - Tillandsia usniformes. They settle at the ends of thin branches of trees, on the thorns of large cacti, and even on telegraph wires. Their roots are poorly developed and if developed at all. They get water from drops of rain, dew or fog that settle on the leaves.

In the family, a separate group of plants can be distinguished - the so-called petrophilic bromeliads (Greek "petra" - rock, "philis" - loving) - plants of rocky habitats. Their homeland is the prairies of Mexico, where they grow in dry, rocky places. The conditions for their cultivation are not much different from the conditions for keeping cacti. In particular, they are kept in the brightest place, without shading from the sun's rays. In winter, they will need good lighting and a cool room - within 8-12 ° C. Watering is rare - about once every two weeks.

Bromeliad: cultivation and care at home ...

Most bromeliads are purchased according to the principle: I came, I saw and I bought without thinking about their future fate. As a result, the plant dies, despite the fact that it was watered as it should be in a funnel of leaves, and fertilized, and transplanted immediately into a new land.

When growing bromeliads at home, you need to know which group they belong to, whether it is epiphytic or terrestrial in nature. If you have purchased an adult flowering specimen of bromeliad, echmea or vriesia, then there is no need to replant the plant. After flowering, which can last up to three months, the plant (adult maternal rosette) dies off. It is necessary to separate and transplant the lateral shoots formed on the maternal outlet.

Plants with dense leaf rosettes can be watered by pouring water directly into the leaf rosette. Periodically, the sheet socket should be washed with clean water, freeing it from foreign elements. Without exception, all bromeliads need good ventilation, but without drafts. In summer, during the growth period, the plant is fed with mineral fertilizers (with caution) at a concentration 5-6 times lower than recommended for other plants. Special fertilizer, as well as excess nitrogen, can kill the plant. Calcium should be completely excluded, superphosphate and calcium nitrate should not be used.

The substrate is essential for the successful maintenance of bromeliads. It should be porous, well drained. Ground bromeliads are grown in a mixture of leafy soil, humus, peat and sand in a ratio of 2:1:1:1/2. You can add sphagnum moss to the mixture. For epiphytic species, a looser mixture is prepared. Home bromeliads do not require an annual transplant, you just need to fix the roots well. When separating the lateral processes from the maternal rosette, the places of the cuts are sprinkled with crushed wood activated carbon or sulfur powder ... (see care)

The greatest danger to bromeliads is the destruction of habitats. Although some species can adapt to changing conditions. Some bromeliads cling to life, developing new and unusual ecological niches as their natural rainforest habitats are destroyed. An example of this phenomenon is bromeliads growing on telephone wires in Tobago, West Indies.

This is one of the largest families of monocots, second only to orchids, sedges, grasses and palms. It has 46 genera and at least 2100 species. Almost all bromeliads are common in the New World, and only one species - fertile pitcairnia (Pitcairnia feliciana) - is found in tropical West Africa(Guinea) completely isolated from the main range of the family. In America, bromeliads are confined mainly to tropical areas, especially to the Amazon basin, where the center of their diversity is located. Only a few species go beyond the tropics, but they are also limited to the warm temperate zone. Tillandsia usneoides (Tillandsia usneoides), or the so-called "Spanish moss" (Fig. 155), moved farthest to the north. This lichen-like epiphytic bromeliad reaches along the Atlantic coast of North America to approximately 38°N. sh. in East Virginia. In South America, several species of bromeliads reach the Juan Fernandez Islands and up to 44 ° S. sh. in Chile and Central Argentina.

Bromeliads are found in a wide variety of habitats, from rainforests to deserts, and from seashores to highlands. They grow on fertile soil, on sands, on rocks, on trees and on saline substrates, on regularly flooded river banks and even on telegraph wires. Most terrestrial bromeliads are xerophytes. Succulent Hechtia grow on the dry soils of South Texas and Mexico, some species of Bromelia (Bromelia) are found on the sands along most of the coast of Eastern South America, and in the coastal deserts of Peru, Tillandsia species cover the ground densely with an almost complete absence of other higher plants. A great many bromeliads are rock plants, and in Southeast Brazil vast expanses of granite cliffs are covered with Tillandsia and Vriesea species. Encholirium and Dickia in Brazil and Deuterochnia and Abrometiella in Argentina usually grow on bare rocks under the hot sun. In Chile, Tillandsia species, following lichens and mosses, are among the first pioneers in colonizing exposed rocks. Where forest bromeliad fosterella (Fosterella), which grows in conditions of high humidity and heat, requires very little light, then Puya species (Puya), growing on the open peaks of the Andes, receive maximum sunlight and easily tolerate very sharp daily temperature fluctuations. Many bromeliads are adapted to habitats characterized by a deficiency of nitrogen nutrition. Within the genus Pitcairnia, one can observe the full range of adaptations to a wide variety of habitats, from rainforest to desert.

Almost all bromeliads are perennial, herbs, very rarely shrubby plants (deuterochnia). They usually have a very short stem, but many tillandsias have an elongated stem, and species of the genus Puya even have a more or less woody stem, which in Puya Raymond (Puya raimondii) reaches a height of 9.5 m with a thickness of more than 1 m and looks somewhat like giant lobelia of tropical Africa. The primary root of bromeliads dies off very early, but adventitious roots develop. The structure of the root depends on whether it serves for attachment to the substrate and for nutrition, as in terrestrial species, or only for attachment to the substrate, as in epiphytes. In the relatively most primitive bromeliads (Pitcairnioideae subfamily), the roots perform their usual functions of absorbing water and nutrients through the root hairs. Most representatives of this subfamily have basal roots, but in species of puya with outstretched stems, they form in various parts of them. In representatives of the other two subfamilies (Tillandsioides - Tillandsioideae and Bromeliads - Bromelioideae), the roots have lost most of their absorption function and serve only to attach to the substrate. In some species of tillandsia, including the "Spanish moss", the roots have lost even the anchor function and have atrophied. In some species of bromeliads, the roots do not have contact with the soil and end in the axils of the leaves.

The leaves of bromeliads are alternate, usually multi-row, but in some tillandsias and in several species of the bromeliad subfamily they are two-row. For the most part, they are located in basal rosettes, rarely cauline, more or less widened into the sheath at the base, entire or prickly-serrate at the edges, usually more or less xeromorphic, with a thick cuticle and well-developed water-retaining parenchyma between the epidermis and chlorenchyma. For leaves of bromeliads, special peltate (corymbose) scales are very characteristic, consisting of a leg and a single-layer shield; during development, the cells of the scutellum eventually die, but the stem cells may remain alive throughout the life of the leaf. Individual cells of the scutellum are unevenly thickened. The most specialized scales are characteristic of Tillandsia. In representatives of the subfamily Pitkernia and in long-stemmed Tillandsia, the leaf sheaths are not greatly expanded and closely overlap each other. The scales on the leaves serve only to reduce transpiration. In most species of the bromeliad subfamily, the leaf sheaths are expanded and tightly cover each other with edges, forming "bowls" or "vases", in which quite a lot of water often accumulates during rains. A plant can have one common cistern, formed by all leaves (single-cistern type, like Billbergia) or, more often, a cistern is formed at the base of each leaf (multi-cistern type). Quite significant amounts of organic matter in the form of microorganisms, dead leaves and other parts of plants, dead animals (especially insects), as well as excretions of live aquatic larvae, usually get into these tanks and eventually dissolve in them. Water, together with the nutrients dissolved in it, is absorbed by adventitious roots developing between the bases of the leaves, or by scales developing on inside leaf bases, and thus the plant receives both water and additional nitrogenous food. Nitrogen uptake is facilitated by putrefactive bacteria that convert organic matter in a soluble form (amino acids, amides, urea). In more specialized forms of this cistern type, the leaf bowls are larger and the absorption of water, together with the substances dissolved in it, is carried out not by adventitious roots, but by scales. In such tanks, a lot of water can sometimes accumulate, often several liters. The giant frisee (Vriesea gigantea) has more than 5 liters of water, and in glomeropitkernia (Glomeropitcairnia) even about 20 liters of liquid have been found.

Many long-stemmed tillandsia species, including Spanish moss, do not form leaf cisterns. They absorb water from the atmosphere through the scales, which through the living cells of their legs osmotically transfer it to the inside of the leaf. When dried, the scales shrivel, which does not interfere with gas exchange through the stomata, but reduces evaporation from the leaf surface. Thanks to this adaptation, the plant can survive the dry season. The remaining representatives of Tillandsia evolved in a different direction - they formed leaf cisterns and water-absorbing scales, concentrated mainly on the leaf sheaths. The subfamily bromeliads proper also evolved in two directions, but they do not have such far-reaching xeromorphism as some of the Tillandsians. In most genera, the solution to the problem of water regime is achieved through the development of leaf cisterns, ranging from wide bowls to thin tubes.

With the development of leaf cisterns, the emergence of very peculiar biological relationships unknown in other monocots is associated. Many bacteria, cyanobacteria, algae, higher plants and especially animals constantly live in tanks. They are a permanent habitat for leaf moss bromeliophilic hookeria (Hookeria bromeliophila). In the cisterns of large tillandsias, kidney-shaped pemphigus (Utricularia reniformis) and lotus-leaved pemphigus (U. nelumbifolia) are often found, where they form stolons (whips) reaching the bowls of neighboring tillandsias. Humboldt's pemphigus (U. humboldtii) is confined to the cisterns of Brocchinia cordylinoides (Brocchinia cordylinioides). But in the tanks they are much more numerous (at least 350 species) and play much more big role representatives of the animal world. They contain various protozoa, worms, molluscs, arthropods, big number a variety of insects (especially flies) and even vertebrates, like salamanders, frogs (most of the tree frog - Hyla), lizards and snakes. Amphibians not only breed in these tanks, but nocturnal forms find shelter here during the day. There is even an indication that in the semi-arid northeastern Brazil, one species of tree frog is in a kind of symbiotic relationship with some species of bilbergia, in whose long tubular tanks it lives. These tree frogs not only sit here in daytime, but very effectively close the hole with their flat head and thus retain moisture for both themselves and the plant. It is also interesting that one species of tree frog (small-veined tree frog - Hyla venulosa) spends the entire dry season in the cistern of Billbergia zebrina (Billbergia zebrina). According to B. Smith (1974), frogs may be an important selection factor in the evolution of tubular cisterns of some Billbergia species. in tanks various kinds bromeliads often find snakes, and sometimes also lizards that penetrate there in search of food (insects, frogs, salamanders).

The vegetative organs of bromeliads have a number of other adaptations. So, for example, in some species of tillandsia, the leaves form hooks, through which they are attached to the branches of the supporting plant, while in other species they turn into tendrils that wrap around the support. Many terrestrial bromeliads form branched stolons, by means of which they often reproduce so intensively that they rarely flower and bear fruit even more rarely, such as the genus Cryptanthus.

Vessels in some bromeliads are present in all organs, in others - only in the roots and stems or only in the roots. Vessel perforation is scalariform or, more rarely, simple.

The variety of vegetative organs of bromeliads is closely related to the nature of mineral nutrition and water regime. On this basis, back in the last century, the famous German botanist A.F.W. Schimper (1888) distinguished three biological types of bromeliads: 1) terrestrial, 2) epiphytic, accumulating water in tanks, and 3) epiphytic, which switched to absorbing atmospheric moisture through their leaves. Later, the American botanist Colin Pittendrig (1948), based on his research on the island of Trinidad, revised and developed Schimper's classification. Pittendrig, followed by D. Benzing (1980) in his book Biology of Bromeliads, distinguishes the following four biological types of bromeliads.

The first type includes bromeliads, which extract water and minerals directly from the soil, for which they are served by a well-developed root system. They do not have cisterns and their leaves play only an insignificant role or even play no role in obtaining both moisture and salts. The scales on their leaves do not yet have an absorbent capacity and serve only to reduce transpiration. This soil-root type includes most representatives of the subfamily Pitcairnaceae, including Pitcairnia Hechtia and Fosterella, and a number of representatives of the subfamily Bromeliad proper, for example, some species of bromeliad.

The second biological type of bromeliads, which can be called the cistern-root type, differs from the soil-root type primarily in the moderately expanded bases of the leaves that form the cistern. The scales on the leaves of bromeliads of this type, although they can absorb water and minerals, but only in small quantities. In some cistern-rooted bromeliads, the roots do not reach the soil, but instead grow upwards towards the bases of the leaves, where they burrow into the cistern. This type is characteristic of many representatives of the bromeliad subfamily, including bromeliads and pineapple (Ananas), and for very few Pitkernias, like the genus Brocchinia (Brocchinia), which grows in the peat bogs of the Guyana Highlands. By the way, there is a suspicion that this is the original bromeliad - carnivorous plant(Benzing, 1980).

The next cistern-rootless type, characteristic of many Tillandsia and a number of representatives of the bromeliad subfamily, has well-developed cisterns, the contents of which serve as the main source of moisture and minerals throughout the life of the plant, with the exception of only the early stages of development. Unlike the previous type, the peltate scales of cistern-rootless bromeliads are absorbent structures. Many of the representatives of this type are obligate epiphytes, but quite a few are also facultative epiphytes. Some of them, like Vriesea glutinosa, grow on rocks. There is a very interesting myrmecophilic variety of this cistern-rootless type. In some epiphytic species of echmea (Aechmea), such as Mertens' echmea (A. mertensii), tanks are not a completely reliable source of moisture and nutrients. Therefore, these species settle on woody anthills, from which they extract a significant amount of nutrients and moisture. At the same time, on the same anthill can grow different types epiphytes. Unfortunately, the biology of these "ant gardens" is still insufficiently studied and the details of the relationships between the components of these peculiar ecosystems are not entirely clear.

Finally, the so-called "atmospheric" bromeliads, or simply "atmospherics", represent a completely special biological type. Karl Metz (1935) called them "atmospheric" because they get everything they need from the atmosphere. All atmospherics are succulent xerophytes. These include several hundred species of the genus Tillandsia and several species of the very closely related genus Frisei. Atmospherics grow on trees, on rocks and even on dry sand. They are densely covered with highly specialized absorbent scales, do not have extended leaf bases, and their root system is usually rudimentary or sometimes completely absent (except for seedlings). When there are roots, they serve only as a kind of hooks that attach the plant to the substrate. Atmospherics absorb moisture directly from the air, and they receive mineral nutrition exclusively from airborne dust and rainwater. One of the most typical atmospherics is the Peruvian desert purple tillandsia (Tillandsia purpurea), which is quite content with minerals found in wind-blown dust and moisture delivered by thick fog that regularly comes from the Pacific Ocean. It grows quite safely in the hot desert, where, having no root, it simply lies on dry sand under the scorching rays of the tropical sun.

A special variety of the biological type of atmospheric bromeliads are "myrmecophilic atmospherics". These include tillandsia "head of Medusa" (T. caput-medusae), tillandsia Butz (T. butzii), bulbous tillandsia (T. bulbosa) and other tillandsia with bulbous expanded leaf bases. Ants live in the chambers of these “bulbs”, which, in turn, bring a double benefit to the plant: they protect it from various pests and, in addition, supply additional nutrients. Nutrients are the decomposition products of various pests brought by ants into the chambers, and ant excrement.

Significantly more than half of all bromeliads are epiphytes, facultative or obligate. According to A.F.W. Schimper (1888), the evolution of epiphytic bromeliads took place initially within a tropical rainforest. Through a series of intermediate forms, the primitive terrestrial rainforest bromeliads moved first to the lower branches of the trees, and then, as a result of further specialization of their scales, some of them gradually adapted to the relatively dry upper canopy. Most cistern-type bromeliads are facultative epiphytes. As E. Mac Williams (1974) notes, there is no sharp boundary between epiphytic and non-epiphytic environments, and in a rainforest the same species can sometimes grow on the ground, on a shady tree trunk and in the upper tier. Interestingly, as the same author points out, in Peru, some species of Tillandsia grow as epiphytes on cacti. But even in the rain forest, the growing conditions of epiphytic bromeliads can be periodically extremely dry. According to E. McWilliams, the success of bromeliads in penetrating the rain forest canopy and other xeric habitats is associated with the effectiveness of such adaptive mechanisms as: 1) absorbing scales; 2) accumulation of water in tanks formed by sheet bases; 3) succulence; 4) dark fixation of carbon dioxide; 5) falling leaves of some bromeliads (some Pitkernia and the genus Ayensua - Ayensua in the Guyana Highlands); 6) neoteny and heterophylly; and 7) some features of the seed and its ability to germinate under conditions of lack of moisture. In different groups of bromeliads, one or another of these adaptations acquires predominance. Thus, the development of absorbent scales was a key factor in the successful colonization of xeric habitats by Tillandsia, and in most representatives of the bromeliad subfamily, this factor was the emergence of special water reservoirs.

Bromeliad flowers are collected in simple or complex racemes, ears, heads or panicles, rarely solitary, usually with a well-developed brightly colored bract, which is almost always more brightly colored than the flowers. In some bromeliads, the flowering stem is very short and the inflorescence sits in the center of a rosette of basal leaves and is usually surrounded by a veil of brightly colored bracts. The elongated flowering stems may bear leaf-like, sterile bracts that differ from ordinary leaves only in their coloration, as in pineapple or bilbergia, or they may form a true peduncle bearing only a few scaly bracts located immediately below the flowers, as in Tillandsia. In some cases, the flowering stem persists for several years, becomes woody and produces a new inflorescence each new season. Fertile bracts are morphologically consistent sheet bases. The flowers are bisexual or sometimes functionally unisexual (some types of hechtia and catopsis - Catopsis), mostly actinomorphic, almost always three-membered, but in some one-sided inflorescences, especially hanging ones, there is a tendency to zygomorphism, as, for example, in Pitkernia. Perianth usually with distinct calyx and corolla, each consisting of 3 segments. The bud arrangement of the perianth is interesting, the location of its segments in the flower bud, the sepals are twisted to the left, and the petals to the right. The sepals are green and herbaceous or more or less petaloid, free or fused at the base. The petals are almost always the same, from linear to ovate, free or fused into a short tube, often brightly colored (white, red, yellow, green or blue), as a rule, equipped on the inside and at the base with a pair of tongue-shaped appendages that differ in shape and sizes in different genera. Unfortunately, the function of these appendages is not entirely clear. Stamens 6 in two circles. In flowers with an interpetal corolla, the filaments of the stamens are more or less fused with the petals. The filaments of the stamens are usually narrow-ribbon-like, while the anthers are linear, mobile, attached at the base or dorsum, opening introvertedly with a longitudinal slit. Pollen grains are single-furrowed (subfamily Pitkernia and Tillandsia) or both single-furrowed and 2-multipore (bromeliad subfamily). Gynoecium of 3 carpels, syncarpous; style usually long, thin, more or less 3-lobed at apex; ovary superior, semi-inferior or inferior, 3-locular, usually with more or less numerous anatropic or rarely campylotropic ovules in each locule. The presence of septal nectaries confined to partitions separating neighboring carpels and occupying places along the fusion lines is characteristic; nectar is released through a hole at the base of the style and is retained by scales at the base of the flower. The fruit is usually a septic pod or more commonly (bromeliad subfamily) a berry. In pineapple and the genus Pseudananas close to it, individual berries grow together into seedlings. The seeds are small, with abundant mealy endosperm and mostly small, but sometimes quite large, embryos. Seeds developing in capsule-type fruits, usually winged or with a tuft-like tuft of hairs formed as a result of splitting of the elongated outer integument and the top of the seed stalk, as in Tillandsia.

Almost all bromeliads are polycarpic, and only a few Tillandsia and puya species are monocarpic. A typical monocarpic is, in particular, the giant puya of Raymond.

Bromeliads are protandrous. At a time when the anthers are already open and pollen is released from them, the stigmas are spirally twisted into a head and thus cannot yet receive pollen. Pollen vectors are hummingbirds, bats, various insects (especially bees, bumblebees, moths and butterflies), and in some cases, apparently also the wind. Pollinators are attracted by the abundant nectar secreted by the septal glands. Both the quantity and quality of nectar (especially the sugar content) varies greatly among different members of the family. For birds and bats, the abundant nectar in the flowers of many bromeliads has a double meaning. It is not only food, but also an important source of water during the dry season. Such, no doubt, is the significance of the abundant but comparatively low sugar nectar in the flowers of the puya species. As M. Percival (1965) notes, there is a remarkable parallelism between the level of nectar in the flower tube and the length of the pollinator's tongue. The level of nectar is determined by the scales on the petals, which are a very important taxonomic feature for representatives of the Tillandsia subfamily and bromeliads proper. A great many bromeliads, especially those with red flowers, are pollinated by hummingbirds, and some of them, like the species of friesea and thecophyllum (Thecophyllum), and Tatke, probably the species of pitkeria, which open their flowers at night and have a specific smell, are pollinated by bats (Porsch, 1932; S. Vogel, 1969).

In the bromeliad family, cross-pollination predominates, but many species have switched partially or even completely to self-pollination. The flowers of some species of Guzmania (Guzmania) do not open - they are cleistogamous.

Bromeliad seeds are usually dispersed by wind, but in some species growing along rivers or in the depths of the rain forest, they are dispersed, in all likelihood, by water. Navia (Navia), the seeds of which are devoid of appendages, is also a hydrochorus plant. Species with seeds lacking appendages but with edible juicy fruits are predominantly ornitochores, some of which are also dispersed by bats.

Many species of bromeliads reproduce mainly vegetatively. In species with rosette leaves, vegetative offspring are regularly formed. Species with long stems are elongated, branched and split into separate individuals, which is especially pronounced in the "Spanish moss". There are many species, including the broad-leaved Tillandsia (Tillandsia latifolia) growing in the coastal deserts of Peru, which are viviparous - instead of flowers, they form small plants.

The Bromeliad family consists of 3 subfamilies - Pitcairnioideae, Tillandsioideae and Bromelioideae proper.

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