Thank you, Lars .. Billbergia is correct! I'll try to find an image showing the little blue curled leaves to further ID which Billbergia it is.

There are actually two separate plants, not attached ... I cleaned them up and repotted them as soon as I got them home. I left them together until one or both recover from neglect and become more robust. It's good to know they self propagate.

Lars, tell me ... Are they fine in direct sun? Do you recommend fertilizer? How often? I like the pendulous bloom, especially for its strikingly contrasting pink, blue, yellow-green colors. I hope they both make it.

Thanks again!!

- Maria Elena

Update: I located the exact name ... It's Billbergia nutans - Queen's Tears. Here's a picture of the bloom:

Hi everyone.

Maria Elena – I agree 100% with Lars when he says it’s a Billbergia. You say,” There are actually two plants” - By
that do you mean separate plants or are they joined to each other, whatever the
answer, I agree with Lars when he says, “Do not separate them - they do better
in clumps” and besides they will improve even more as they produce more pups.

The picture of the flower you posted, definitely looks
like Bill. nutans, but by the same
token, many of the hybrids bred from Bill.
nutans have very similar flowers, and
looking at your plant I think it could be a hybrid, as the species Bill. nutans usually has much thinner
leaves (See picture).

To check your plant against the 54 registered hybrids to try
and establish a definite ID go to the Bromeliad Cultivar Register at: http://registry.bsi.org/?fields=Parents&id=674&search=nutans
- You will find that most of these
registrations have accompanying photographs.

Of course there is always the possibility that your plant
could be one of the many unregistered hybrids not listed and although this doesn’t
detract from its beauty, getting an accurate identification may prove
difficult.

To answer your question, “Are they fine in direct sun?”- Although
they may survive in full sun (depending on where you live and what temperatures
we are talking about) usually they do better in broken light of about 75% sun.

As for your question about fertilizer, I have found most
bromeliads respond favourably to a bit of fertiliser and the best fertiliser for
bromeliads is one that has a higher Potassium content than it does Nitrogen. Too
much nitrogen will increase leaf growth at the expense of foliage colour, and
flower production. These types of fertilisers are often marketed under the generic
name of “Bloom Booster“ or “Blossom Booster” and although usually aimed specifically at orchid growers, they work just as well with bromeliads.

Another thing I have found is that if the directions say
1 teaspoon mixed with a gallon of water and applied monthly, you get a better
result applying ½ teaspoon to the gallon and apply it each two weeks following the old nurseryman's rule of "little and often".

Whatever you do though, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that if
the recommended quantity makes them grow well, then twice that amount will make
them grow twice as good as quite often the opposite happens where they suffer
damage from the overdose.

Also an occasional application of one of the many seaweed
based products is also beneficial and although they aren’t a true fertiliser,
they can be better described as a tonic and assist the plant to better withstand
diseases, stress and extremes of temperature.

All the best, Nev.

Nev,

Thanks for all the information. I customarily use fertilizers at 1/4 - 1/2 strength, depending on the tree/plant. I was actually referring to ratios & frequency for this specific succulent, which you've given me ... Thank you.

As indicated twice before, these are 2 separate plants, with two separate root systems ... They are not, nor have they ever been connected. I uprooted them, cleaned up their roots, changed their soil, & repotted them ... NOT connected.

The photo you've included does not look at all like the flower on my plant. The bloom is exactly the one I posted earlier today, with the curled blue leaves. It was listed as b. Nutans, perhaps incorrectly. The bloom with the blue curled leaves is the correct one, whatever Billbergia that is.

My location is indicated right next to my username. I live in the US Caribbean (86ºF/86% humidity). The plant is currently in semi shade, under a soursop tree. Your comments lead me to believe that may be too much sun. I'll move it under a tree with a larger canopy (pomegranite).

I have a few bare-root bromeliads hanging off a fence in full tropical sunlight and doing very well & pupping. I thought this one may require the same sun. But it sounds like I can place it in a shaded rock garden. Is that correct?

I thank you and Lars for all the detailed information.

- Maria Elena

Hi everyone.

Maria - Perhaps the flower on the pic I posted isn't a very good likeness as it was past its best, but it wasn't all that important as the point I was trying to illustrate was that the Bill. nutans species that's grown here, has much narrower leaves (as shown in my picture) and not as wide as the ones shown on the plants in your pictures.

I know that it is a variable plant and I've seen pictures of it on the F.C.B.S. site from U.S. growers showing both types of leaves, but it seems to have the one common denominator which is the beautiful flowers which can't be mistaken.

I agree that the flower you posted is definitely Bill. nutans. I don't have any pictures of my Bill. nutans for comparison, but below are examples from other random growers (three of flowers and one of the whole plant to show the leaves in comparison to the flowers)

Regarding the amount of sun a plant can take without damage, I should have made it clear that I live on the south east coast of Australia about three hours south of Sydney and as well as the hot summer sun we get, the UV level also has to be considered as this is what does the damage to the plants. I don't know what the UV rating is where you live but many other countries can grow plants in longer sunlight hours than here because they have a lower UV.

It's a bit of a trap when reading books and getting info from forums and as discussions progress its easy to forget that we often live in different countries and take this into consideration when asking for or giving advice. Often we're talking about two different countries and likewise, two entirely different sets of growing conditions.

Unfortunately when I get involved in bromeliad discussions I tend rave on and forget I'm talking to people from countries other than Australia and if I've misled anyone I apologise.

Likewise when you point out your location as indicated beside your user name, I saw that and understood the US Caribbean, but the "- 12b/13a" didn't mean anything to me, as they are figures I'm not familiar with.

When I mentioned 75% sunlight as being suitable, that is just a generally accepted thing around here where I live and as you well know, there are exceptions to all rules. A good example of one of those exceptions is Aechmea recurvata which will grow happily here in full all day sun without damage, where further north, this may not be the case.

Maybe the flowers below will sort things out better than I explained them.

All the best, Nev.

Billbergia nutans flowers

Close-up of Billbergia nutans flower

A clump of Bill. nutans showing the narrow leaves

Hi, Nev -

Thank you for the further clarification. I see what you mean in terms of the thinner leaves. The leaves on mine are thick & sawtoothed. Remember, this plant was given to me in bad shape ... it's neglected dried leaves have been recently removed, so it's missing 2-3 rows of greenery. The flower on mine look exactly like the closeups you just posted. Leaf to flower comparison, I fully accept it may very well be a hybrid. I'm happy with Lars' original Billbergia ID.

UV Index here is 13 EXTREME between the hours of 9am - 5pm. The 12b/13a indication is the USDA Hardiness Zone. Most of my plants are, and do well in direct full sun. Exceptions are those with a tendency to blanche like E. oxypetalum (Queen of the Night), some orchids, Thanksgiving cactus, and other succulents (huernias, stapelias, aloes) that lose their green lushness under this hot sun.

There is a new bloom coming in on the 2nd plant ... I will post a picture of the fresh flower once it presents itself.

- Maria Elena

So sorry I forgot to update. This bromeliad still has the small round black scale it came with and is still isolated, left to the elements ... poor thing. Do you think Neem Oil will kill that scale? I don't see much of it left but there is still some there. There are now 4 plants in the pot. Here is a picture of the actual bloom. So are we going with a definite ID of Billbergia nutans hybrid?

Maria Elena

... and is this another Billbergia nutans? The leaves are thinner, more strappy than the above. Or maybe it's the same plant! I got it as a small unattached pup so I have not seen a flower yet.

Hi Maria Elena,

A website that has some good information on the different billbergia bromeliads.

http://www.bromeliads.info/billbergia/

I have one that I've had for years....giving to me as "Queens Tears". Looks just like your first posted bromeliad. Also, I have a variegated version of it that I believe is Billbergia zebrina (also named 'Queens Tears").

Happy Gardening, Jeannie :)

Billbergia info:

Hi, Jeannie ... Good to see you here. I'm a little confused because I was told this is not a Billbergia nutans "Queen's Tears." Perhaps the correct way to catalog it is Billbergia nutans "Queen's Tears" Hybrid. Let's see if others agree.

All the best!

Maria Elena

Hi everyone.

Jeannie – To add to the information you’ve provided, I
would also like to suggest two more excellent bromeliad sites: Firstly there’s
the Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies site (F.C.B.S.) http://fcbs.org/pictures.htm
) which has two photo indices, one for cultivars and one for species. Secondly
there’s the Bromeliad Cultivar Register (B.C.R.) http://registry.bsi.org/ which
has a Photo Index containing every bromeliad which has ever been registered. Together
these two sites contain thousands of pictures and accompanying plant descriptions
and are both excellent sites for research.

You say you have a variegated version of Bill. nutans;
this is quite possible as there are a few different variations from the normal
species which over the years have been produced as sports, however in most cases
these have wider leaves, some being variegated and some with pale spotting. The true Bill. nutans species is distinguished
by its very narrow “grass like leaves” and brightly colourful flowers.

You also say you believe your variegated plant to be
Billbergia zebrina; it’s more than likely a variation of Bill. nutans as explained
above because Billbergia zebrina is a different Billbergia species altogether.
It is a much taller plant being almost twice the height, with very tough, thick,
grey/green leaves with silvery “band like markings” on their underside. These
leaves form a cylindrical tube like upright shaped plant. The flowers too are vastly different
as they are known as a “helicoid” or more commonly the “watch spring” type.
This name comes from the fact that the petals are tightly recoiled and which
take on a similar shape to a “watch spring”, and are very different to the flowers
of Bill. nutans. (See picture below).

I think if you settle on the name Bill. nutans hybrid
your name will be pretty accurate. Alternatively, you could wade through all of
the Bill. nutans hybrids shown on the BCR (All 55 of them starting here http://registry.bsi.org/?fields=Parents&id=674&search=nutans
) and see if any look like your plant;
if there are, you will then have the correct registered name. However, remember that not all
of these variations would have been registered.

The other thing that now convinces me that your plant is a
hybrid is the flowers; in this last lot of pictures you’ve posted (especially
the close-up) you can observe that although the markings are similar to the flowers on the Bill. nutans species, the colours appear more diluted (washed out), which is something that
often happens with hybrids. I’ve posted the two pictures below for easier
comparison.

Billbergia nutans

Possible Billbergia nutans hybrid

Also there's an interesting article at http://www.bromeliad.org.au/news/Ill0711.htm. It's toward the end and is called: THE WATCH SPRING BILLBERGIAS IN CULTIVATION

In conclusion I want to thank you Maria for starting this thread as it's turned out to be an interesting discussion and a great information sharing exercise.

All the best, Nev.