Monday, July 19, 2010

Vresia malzinei

Vresia malzinei is another bromeliad with long-lasting summer color.
The foliage itself is dark green with a purplish underside.  The plant grows about a foot tall and two foot wide.
In early summer, a brilliant red and green spike emerges and grows unbranched to a height of nearly three feet.
White flowers open a few at a time from between the bracts, starting at the bottom and working their way to the top.  The spike keeps good color for about two months and then slowly fades.
Vresia malzinei prefers a shady location with only dappled sunlight.  Mine has survived temperatures in the upper twenties under the canopy of a large tree with very little damage.  The tree canopy kept frost off the foliage.

1 comment:

Steve Asbell said...

Beautiful photos of a brom thats new to me! I have what I think is vriesea sucrei on my balcony table, and it has almost identical leaves but the inflorescence is branched. The last photo on my current post (thai spices) has it in the background... do you know what it is?