Billbergia nutans,Angel Tears, בילברגיה

Martha's exotic Backyard in Israel: Billbergia nutans, Angel Tears, Queen's Tears,
Friendship plant, בילברגיה


Scientific name:		Billbergia nutans
Common name:		Angel Tears, Queen's Tears, Friendship plant
Hebrew name:		בילברגיה
Family:		Bromeliaceae, Bromeliads, משפחת הברומליים

_{Location: Martha's Backyard; Date Picture Taken: February 9,2009}


Life form:		Epiphyte
Leaves:		Open rosette, grey green leaves, saw tooth edge
Flowers:		Large pink bracts, blue and green tubular flowers
Flowering Period:		Any time of the year
Origin:		Southern Brazil

_{Location: Martha's Backyard; Date Picture Taken: February 9,2009}

The plant genus Billbergia was named for the Swedish botanist, zoologist, and anatomist Gustaf Johan Billberg (1772-1844).
Bilbergia nutans is a bromeliad, related to the pineapple and is very slow growing.
Billbergia nutans in habitat is generally epiphytic and in culture it also thrives as terrestrial in ordinary (well draining!) garden soil.
The term epiphytic derives from the Greek epi- (='upon') and phyton (='plant').
The blooms exude a very sticky clear nectar which forms visible droplets. These droplets, plus the royal purple of the bloom edging, are the reasons that the plant is commonly called "queen's tears". It is also commonly called "friendship plant" because it readily produces offsets which may be divided from the mother plants and shared with others.
The flower stem often hangs down lower than the plant, so this is ideal to be planted in a hanging basket or as an epiphyte.

Billbergia nutans,Angel Tears, Queen's Tears, Friendship plant, בילברגיה

_{Location: Martha's Backyard; Date Picture Taken: February 9,2009}