All the species of the bromeliad genus are endemic to the Atlantic Forest biome (Mata Atlantica Brasileira), located in southeast Brazil.
Orthophytum gurkenii thick leaves are chocolate-brown with broken silver-white zig-zag banding.
Orthophytum navioides is a stemless bromeliad that spreads by stolons to form clustered rosettes of narrowly of lance shaped, finally toothed, sparsely scaly, thin-leaved red foliage.