It's a Neoregelia, can't say exactly which cultivar as there are so many similar-looking ones. It's odd, because Neos don't have a tall spike flower, it's more like a tight pincushion deep in the cup, so they don't "fall off", but looking at your last picture, it sure looks like someone removed it, wonder why? Either that or it's starting to rot out in the center-- I hope not, but the overall appearance and the slight pinkish tinge on the center leaves looks more like a Neo about ready to bloom than one that's already bloomed. Hmmm... I don't like the look of those brownish inner leaves.

The soil looks ghastly. Bromeliads do not like hard-packed earth at all, they want something light, porous and well-drained. A good peat/perlite houseplant mix is fine. I'd wash all that hard muck off it with a hose, and put it in some new mix (same size pot) and add a small amount (about 1/4 the label recommendation for houseplants) of slow-release fertilizer. If it has already bloomed, though, it's not going to grow any more or bloom again. Instead, you will have to wait for the pups to mature (I think I see one forming at the base of the plant in your second picture, unless that's just the remains of a leaf-base), at which point you can remove it and pot it up. Keep doing this and the mother plant should give you several new bromeliads before calling it quits.

If it is rotting in the center, though, there's not much you can do except toss it. You'll know soon enough. If a handful of inner leaves suddenly comes off in your hand and it smells really disgusting, all you can do is give it a decent burial. Contrary to popular opinion, keeping water in the center cup does not cause a bromeliad to rot. They like water in the cup, but if there has been some damage to the plant, or some toxic chemical has fallen in there, it opens the way for disease to set in.

Your pictures make it 100 times easier to answer your questions, but I wish I could poke my finger into the cup, then I could tell you exactly what's going on there.

Lisa - Thank you and mohalo!

A Neoregelia eh? You can be sure I will repot this plant as soon as I can. Thank you for the information on what I should do. I have some good news and some not so good news. The good news is that there is a pup sprouting out. It is a bit hard to see in the second photo; however, the pup is a inch and a half long. Very encouraging.

I smelled the center. Not very encouraging. Smelled faintly of rot. Depressing. I think this is a beautiful plant. The leaves are striking. I shall not give up on her.

Hopefully, repotting will produce more pups. I did check with the plant's former keepers. They told me the plant has never flowered. Interesting. Maybe I will fall in with a bit of luck and see her produce a flower. I do hope so. In the mean time, I will repot and report the results.

Cheers then~
Kenzie_POM

With Neoregelia, the flowers are not such a big deal; instead, the leaves turn colors (usually to red) near the center. It's not unusual for an unhappy bromeliad to skip flowering and just produce pups.

My own soil recipe for bromeliads is to take two parts good potting soil and one part pea gravel (small gravel, like aquarium gravel). This gives the plants the drainage they require.

Good Evening ya'll. Been away for a spell so please excuse me. LisaCLV, I repotted my Neoregelia. When I did this I poured out the water that was in the cup. The water did not smell rotten. The cup did not smell rotten. Hmmm. I am hopefull. I was glad to see that there was not one pup but two. The second one was under the hard caked dirt. Yes, I had to really break that junk off. Madabouteu, thanks for the advise on "two parts good potting soil and one part pea gravel." That is the combination I used. Plant seems to be happy. I will keep everyone posted.

Thanks - Kenzie_POM