Friendship plant, בילברגיה
| Scientific name: | Billbergia nutans H.Wendl. | |
| Common name: | Angel Tears, Queen's Tears, Friendship plant | |
| Hebrew name: | בילברגיה | |
| Family: | Bromeliaceae, Bromeliads, משפחת הברומליים |
 Location: Martha's Backyard |
| Life form: | Epiphyte | |
| Stems: | to a height of approximately 50 cm and up to 75 cm wide; pink flower stems | |
| Leaves: | Funnel-shaped rosette, arching, linear, grey-green leaves up to 50cm long, saw tooth edge | |
| Inflorescence: | Arching racemes of flowers on long pink stems | |
| Flowers: | Large pink bracts, panicles of tubular flowers with pink sepals with violet-blue edges, 3 reflexed, lime-green petals outlined in navy blue, and 6 protruding stamens approximately 1 inch in length with bright yellow anthers | |
| Fruits / pods: | Berries | |
| Flowering Period: | Any time of the year | |
| Origin: | Southern Brazil |
Location: Martha's Backyard Derivation of the botanical name: Billbergia, named for Gustaf Johan Billberg (1772-1844), a Swedish botanist, zoologist, and anatomist. nutans, nodding.
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. 
Location: Martha's Backyard |