James H. Schutte
Family
Bromeliaceae
Botanical Name
AECHMEA mexicana
Plant Common Name
Aechmea, Mexican Bromeliad
Special Notice
This entry has yet to be reviewed and approved by L2G editors.
General Description
Beautiful apple-green leaves with teethed edges in the shaped of a mounding fountain describes the Mexican bromeliad's foliage and the flower spike is a candle-like spire of silvery white flowers and fruits. A tender perennial bromeliad that can be grown as an epiphyte (mounted upon another plant) or propped in soil, it is native from Mexico southward into extreme northern South America.
The long, broad, strappy leaves are a light green, occasionally with mottled dark green markings and tipped in pink, and form a basal rosette. The leaf edges are lined in minute teeth and can be dark red. If grown in full sun the entire blade can blush with deep red hues. Water collects in the clustered bases of the leaves. On mature plants a stalk appears out of the central vase in spring or summer revealing a slender cluster of lavender-pink flowers that become lovely silvery white berries that persist for months. Once the flowering ends, this plant will degrade and die but not before younger new pup plants emerge from the mother plants basal stalk.
Grow Mexican bromeliad in full sun to light shade in a moist but well-draining, light soil or mounted onto a large tree branch or crotch. Protect from frost and in periods of drought ensure the leaf bases have water in them. After the mother plant blooms and the flower spike is no longer decorative, it should be cut off and removed to allow the young pups to thrive and fill the void. This bromeliad is exceptional in the landscape as a massed groundcover in the tropical foundation bed or mixed border. It is also lovely as an accent in a bed of a low groundcover or in a heavy container on the frost-free patio. Selection 'Albomarginata' is much showier with its apple-green and yellow foliage.
Characteristics
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AHS Heat Zone
12 - 8
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USDA Hardiness Zone
11 - 15
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Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 23, 24
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Plant Type
Tender Perennial
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Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade
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Height
20"-30" / 50.8cm - 76.2cm
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Width
2'-3' / 0.6m - 0.9m
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Native To
Mexico, Central America, South America
Growing Conditions
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Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
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Soil Drainage
Well Drained
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Soil type
Sand
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Tolerances
Drought
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Growth Rate
Slow
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Water Requirements
Average Water
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Habit
Rosette/Stemless
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Seasonal Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Ornamental Features
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Flower Interest
Showy
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Fragrant Flowers
No
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Fragrant Fruit
No
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Fragrant Foliage
No
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Bark or Stem Fragrant
No
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Flower Petal Number
Single
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Repeat Bloomer
No
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Showy Fruit
Yes
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Edible Fruit
No
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Showy Foliage
Yes
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Evergreen
Yes
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Showy Bark
No
Special Characteristics
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Usage
Container, Feature Plant, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Tropical
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Sharp or Has Thorns
Yes
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Invasive
No
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Self-Sowing
No
