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A spectacular epiphyte with thick creeping stems and large, very broadly ovate leaves.

Moderate water is required during the growing season. Care should be taken to keep water off the leaves of new growths.

Billbergia nutans - this Bromeliad is one of the easiest to grow indoors, and one of the most striking. Its thick, strap-like leaves grow into an upright rosette, creating an urn that must be filled with water at all times. As the plant matures, the leaves arch outward, lending a graceful appearance. The foliage can reach up to 15 inches tall and about twice as wide, so give this plant some room to spread out. The flowers are pink, purple, yellow or green and are surrounded by red or pink bracts. Billbergia nutans gets one of its common names, Queen's Tears, from the drops of nectar that "weep" from the flowers when the plant is moved or touched. Because it readily produces offsets that can be shared with friends, it is also commonly known as Friendship Plant.

'Windii' (Bilbergia × windii) Billbergia hybrid nutans × decora

Billbergia was established as a genus in 1821 by Thunberg. The name is a tribute to the Swedish botanist Gustav Johannes Billberg. The flowers range from virtually colorless to deep violet, some are night-bloomers and a few are fragrant. According to the petal habit Billbergias are divided into two groups: billbergia, in which the petals recurve slightly and helicodea, in which the petals coil back like a spring. The seeds are contained in hard berries just below the flowers. Pups are produced on short stolons so that a clump forms quickly. Billbergias in habitat are generally epiphytic and may also grow on rock. In culture some (B. nutans, B. pyramidalis) also thrive as terrestrials in ordinary (well draining!) garden soil. They prefer a small pot. Billbergias are usually grown "hard"—strong light to enhance leaf coloration and markings, little or no fertilizer to ensure that the plant does not outgrow its optimum size and color.

Most bromeliads are epiphytes in their native rainforest habitat. They have small roots, mainly used for anchoring themselves on trees, so these tree-dwelling plants gather moisture and nutrients through their leaves. You can encourage bromeliads to flower by adding a pinch of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) to the water or fertilizer. Keep it in partial shade. Water the center of the rosette and keep room-temperature rainwater or distilled water in its urn (center of the rosette) at all times. Water soil just enough to keep the roots barely moist. Empty old water from the urn once a month and promptly replace it with fresh water. Do not soak base of plant, which can lead to root rot. In fall and winter, keep the soil slightly drier. Soil: orchid mix.

Billbergia have been crossed with Cryptanthus

and the resulting hybrids Cryptbergia are intermediate in habit between the two genera. See Bromeliad page.