Tag Archives: bromeliad

Aechmea blumenavii in the Garden

aechmea-blumenavii-canarius Canarius | Wednesday September 28th, 2016 |
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buy-online-aechmea-blumenaviiBeautiful Aechmea from the outskirts of a city named Blumenau, in the cool, wet South East of Brazil. Aechmea blumenavii is a rare, cold hardy bromeliad. It is endemic to Sierra de Santa Catarina, by the city of Blumenau in SE Brazil.

Aechmea blumenavii is an endangered species and it is classified as Rare by the IUCN. This is the TRUE blumenavii, not the many mislabelled specimens in the trade. That’s why it is a rare endangered species in habitat. It is a tropical looking species which is highly sought after for gardening in non tropical countries because it is able to stand freezes to about -8 C.

 

flower-aechmea-blumenaviiAechmea blumenavii in the Garden

Aechmea blumenavii is very easy to grow in cultivation. Leaves are green and show the typical blue tip. Spikes of yellow flowers are produced in the cooler months, followed by pink-red fruits. Fruits will stay colourful for months.

As time passes it grows as a mat-forming ground cover.  As a bromeliad, it will need a draining substrate, with sand, compost or similar. It will enjoy growing on a raised bed or a rockery. It can also be grown on trees or rocks.

It grows as a house plant because it takes shade and dry air, so growers can take it indoors in the winter months to enjoy the flowers.

Frost-hardy Aechmea with blue-tipped green leaves, from the outskirts of a city named Blumenau

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Our Shop

Please visit the Bromeliad Section of our Shop and check back often, because we offerent different bromeliads at different times of the year. We ship bromeliads to anywhere in Europe. Our bromeliads are already growing in many European countries, such as Spain, Ireland, Italy, Poland, and Germany.

All bromeliads in catalogue are sold as bare-rooted “pups”, which are the robust basal suckers produced after blooming. Our pups are very easy to root – some will already show some roots when you open the box.

Our chameleon-like bromeliad: Aechmea blanchetiana

Canarius | Friday December 18th, 2015 |
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Crop of pups of Aechmea blanchettiana, ready for shipping.

Crop of pups of Aechmea blanchettiana, ready for shipping.

Aechmea blanchetiana is a botanical species of the bromeliad family, originating in Brazil, from Bahia to Espirito Santo. It is a typical element of the vegetation that grows along the coasts, referred to as “restingas”, whose soils are generally poor and sandy.

This is one of the most popular bromeliads used for landscaping in tropical and subtropical countries. It can withstand powerful solar radiation, low availability of water and salty sea air. It is a plant that also endures shaded spaces, but the leaves turn green and rather soft and flaccid, therefore losing part of its beauty.

This large bromeliad is often used outdoors in full sun.

The genus name derives from the Greek “aichme” (spearhead) and the species is named after its discoverer, Jacques S. Blanchet. Currently,  Aechmea blanchetiana is widely used as an ornamental plant.

It is a large evergreen herbaceous plant that has a rosette with abundant leaves,  that turn bright orange when exposed to sunlight. Aechmeas are “tank-type bromeliad”, so leaves are arranged as a funnel and they form a central cavity, usually filled with water. Leaves are stiff, with soft spines at the apex and on the margins. Curiously, we could highlight that each rosette of Aechmea blanchetiana blooms only once  and then dies, but this process takes about two years and new “pups” are produced at the base of the mother plant. The blooming season starts in mid summer and the colourful branches last until the end of the year or even more, until they start bearing fruits. These  are small globose berries containing elliptical seeds about 1-2 mm long. It can be reproduced, not only by seed, but also vegetatively through the new “pups” that are born at the base and can be separated when they have reached a size of at least one third of the mother plant.

Frog inside an Aechmea blanchetiana

Frog inside an Aechmea blanchetiana

Currently, in the nursery of Canarius, we have lots of Aechmea blanchetiana, available in younger or adult sizes.

Furthermore, we also offer a large selection of bromeliads which are hard to find in European collections and gardens. Above all, thanks to the adaptation of these species to both the cold and dry heat of the Canary Islands (Spain), most of them can be grown outdoors in coastal mediterranean climates.

Aechmea triangularis survives to -6 C (21 F) and blooms

Canarius | Monday February 14th, 2011 |
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Aechmea triangularis grows very well in mediterranean climate and warm temperate climates. It is an attractive bromeliad with golden-green leaves and brow-black spines. It produces a long lasting inflorescence in late spring, with red bracts and blue flowers. Before blooming, tips of leaves fold back forming a triangle, enhanced by dark red markings. Grow it in bright sun conditions, with little or no fertilizer, to achieve more compact and colurful plants.

Charlie Dill’s picture of Aechmea triangularis, blooming after a freeze

Aechmea triangularis can take low temperatures with little or no damage at -6 C (18 F) for several hours. About its cold tolerance, there is an interesting report written by Charlie Dill about different bromeliads surviving to -6 C (21 F) in California has texts and pictures of this species.

LINK TO CHARLIE DILL’S FROST DAMAGE REPORT OF AECHMEA TRIANGULARIS AND OTHER BROMELIADS

Charlie Dill’s picture of an unscathed Aechmea triangularis

Our Shop

Please visit the Bromeliad Section of our Shop and check back often, because we offerent different bromeliads at different times of the year. We ship bromeliads to anywhere in Europe. Our bromeliads are already growing in many European countries, such as Spain, Ireland, Italy, Poland, and Germany. All bromeliads in catalogue are sold as bare-rooted “pups”, which are the robust basal suckers produced after blooming. Our pups are very easy to root – some will already show some roots when you open the box.

Aechmea triangularis with dark leaf tips before blooming

Aechmea triangularis with dark leaf tips before blooming

Aechmea blanchetiana – Video clip of the large bromeliad from Brazil.

Canarius | Saturday September 4th, 2010 |
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Aechmea blanchetiana is the ultimate large bromeliad for landscaping outdoors, reaching intense orange-yellow colour in full sun. Aechmea blanchetiana is native to the Atlantic coast of Brazil, where it grows both terrestrially, in coastal sand, or epiphytically, on the branches of tall forest trees. Clumping large rosettes of wide and shiny leaves, producing a spectacular floral display which lasts for months. The heavily branched inflorescence appears in July and grows to 1,7 m (5 ft) tall, in red and yellow.

You can buy this spectacular plant at www.canarius.com, in the Bromeliad Section of our shop.

This video posted on Youtube shows Aechmea blanchetiana, just like the ones we grow, showing different colours according to different light exposures.