Bromeliads

Seeing this unique plant, it is hard to believe they belong to the same family of  tropical plants as the pineapples!  (check out this link  -  http://houseplants.about.com/od/bromeliads/a/Bromeliads.htm).   If the experts say so, we just have to accept it  :-) . Anyway I am a hundred percent sure I won't be  seeing or eating any fruits off this plant..... ! My good friend , Tracy, has a good collection of these plants, they seemed to thrive in her place . The ones I have are taken from her about eight months ago. 

If you look closely at  the two photos below, you will realize that they are actually of the same plant, taken about a month  apart. Somehow the color of the 'flower' just changed from bright orange to washed out yellow.   I am not sure if this is a natural occurrence.  I will have to see if the same  happens to the other plant  (picture above) as well.

 

My friend actually gave me 3 types, but the ones above is the one type that had adapted well. Two others did not seem to adapt that well. One looks like it has gone dormant. It has actually broader curved leaves. I did not take any pictures. They are the Guzmania Bromeliads. 

This Aechmea Bromeliad (left hand side) has mottled green leaves not unlike the Dwarf Sanseviera (Post dated : 29th October).  However the leaf blade is elongated and the edges have fine spikes, much like the pineapple leaf.  The sanseviera has  very smooth edges.  This bromeliad seemed to take a long time to adapt, it did not flower but it has sprung an offspring or pup as they call it !  Just hope  the offspring will fare better than the parent plant.  Or perhaps I should  think about relocating it or plant it in a pot.   I have planted it  on the ground the way I saw my friend did, but perhaps the soil is too damp and a  bit too shaded for its liking.  

Now, perhaps we can take a look at my pineapples plants just for comparison. These pineapples are planted from the crowns of those pineapples that we bought from the market.  According to Chinese customs, when making offerings to ancestors, a whole pineapple is a must.  After prayers, the crown is cut off and planted. I am not sure if I will get any fruits from these pineapples  that I planted from the crowns, but  I do quite like the attractiveness of the pineapple plant.

I think they are doing okay, aren't they?  Anyway it will  be a long patient wait  to see the fruits. Easier to buy from the market. Pineapples actually take at least a year or more to fruit and ripen, so it is not surprising that they are expensive these days. Pineapples have a lot of healthy benefits as well. Do check out these link :- http://www.oohoi.com/natural%20remedy/everyday_food/Benefits-of-Pineapple.htm and http://www.knowledgebase-script.com/demo/article-283.html. to find out more.