Bromeliad family. Homeland Central and South America, Antilles. There are about 170 species in nature.
About 10 species and their varieties are common in the culture. The most common:
Echmeia striata Aechmea fasciata is an epiphytic plant with a dense rosette of leaves, about 20 in number, linear in shape, pointed at the end, up to 1 meter long and about 5-8 cm wide, with a serrated edge. The leaves are green with broad silvery or white transverse stripes. Peduncle straight and densely pubescent. Inflorescence capitate with pink bracts, with a spiky edge. The flowers are small, sessile with violet-blue petals. Flowering begins in the first half of summer or late winter.
Echmeia caudata caudata is an epiphytic or epilitous plant with a dense rosette of green leaves. Leaves in shape and size, as in echmea striped. Peduncle straight pubescent. The inflorescence is paniculate with red flowering leaves. The flowers are small, sessile. The petals are first yellow, then take on a purple tint. It blooms in early summer.
The bract echmea, "Aechmea bracteata," is an epiphytic or epilitous plant with a large elongated rosette of leaves. The leaves are green, leathery about 1 meter long and 8-10 cm wide with large curved spines along the edge. Peduncle straight, pubescent. Paniculate inflorescence with red, bent floral leaves The flowers are small, with yellow petals. Flowering begins in late spring and early summer.
Echmeia sparkling Aechmea fulgens is an epiphytic plant with a dense rosette of leaves about 70 cm long and 5-8 cm wide. The leaves are green on the upper side, and purple on the lower. Peduncle straight, pubescent. The inflorescence is paniculate with pink bracts and bright red small flowers. Often after flowering, fruits appear - red berries.
Caring for Echmea
Temperature: Echmei prefers moderate temperatures - in summer about 22-25 ° C and good ventilation, avoid cold drafts! In winter, about 17-18 ° C, at least 16 ° C.
Lighting: Bright diffused light, possible with some direct sun morning or evening. It grows well on the east and west windows. Echmeis with thick hard leaves (striped echmeia, bract echmeia, etc.) can grow well on the southern windows, where shading is required only in the hottest hours of the day (from 12 to 15 hours).
Watering: The soil should be slightly wet all the time, but at the same time very loose, have time to dry out in 1-2 days. In spring and summer, the rosette is filled with soft water. Water should be soft, filtered or boiled, at a level of about 3 cm. Change water every two to three weeks.
Fertilizers: Fertilization is carried out in spring and summer. For top dressing, special fertilizers for bromeliads are used. Fertilizers can be used for other flowering houseplants in a half dose. Feeding is carried out after 2 weeks.
Humidity: Echmea prefers fairly humid air, about 60% humidity. Therefore, it is useful to spray the plant regularly with warm soft water from a very small sprayer. In echmea striped, it is not recommended to wipe the leaves, since the silver stripes on the leaves are formed from the smallest scales and films. If they are damaged, the plant may even die.
Transplantation: Annually after flowering, into soil consisting of 1 part peat, 1 part leaf, 1 part pine bark and 1 part humus, 1/2 part washed sand or vermiculite. You can use a purchased soil mixture for bromeliads. The container for landing should not be too deep or spacious.
Reproduction: By seeds and daughter shoots, when they are already sufficiently formed, i.e. have a length of about 13-15 cm. The resulting young plants bloom, as a rule, in a year or two. Plants grown from seeds usually bloom after 3-4 years. In this case, echmea is transplanted every two years.