''Neoregelia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Bromeliaceae, subfamily

Bromelioideae Bromelioideae is a subfamily of the bromeliads (Bromeliaceae). This subfamily is the most diverse, represented by the greatest number of genera with about 40. Most of the plants in this group are epiphytes, though some have evolved in, or will ada ...

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

South American South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

rainforests Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> The genus name is for

Eduard August von Regel Eduard August von Regel (sometimes Edward von Regel or Edward de Regel or Édouard von Regel), Russian: Эдуард Август Фон Регель; (born 13 August 1815 in Gotha; died 15 April 1892 in St. Petersburg) was a German horticultura ...

, Director of St. Petersburg Botanic Gardens in Russia (1875–1892).

Description

Neoregelias are

plants, meaning they grow attached to the branches of forest trees; they do not naturally grow in the Earth, though they can be cultivated on the ground in controlled conditions, such as a garden, provided they are kept in a very airy growing medium such as pine bark that allows the root system to breathe. Their roots serve primarily as hold-fasts to grip their canopy perches and are adapted poorly to absorb nutriment, which is instead obtained through leaf litter, animal droppings and rainfall that collects in the prominent central cup exhibited by most species in the genus. They have mostly broad, relatively flat leaves often marked brightly with red, purple or yellow pigments which serve to protect the green photosynthetic tissues from sunburn and through selective breeding and hybridization thousands of cultivars in almost all color combinations, many also striped with white, have been produced. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

s of these plants form in the shallow central depression - the "cup" - of the plant, which often fills partway with water, through which the flowers bloom. Neoregelias, like most bromeliads, bloom only once in their lifetime and then begin to die, but normally not before producing several pups - small clones of the parent plant - around the central flowering rosette on stolons. These offshoots eventually replace the mother plant and form a cluster around it - although in cultivation, the offshoots can be severed and replanted when about two-thirds the size of the adult plant. The leaves immediately surrounding the inflorescence are very often brightly colored, even in species otherwise not brightly marked - an adaptation to attract pollinating insects.

Cultivation

''Neoregelia'' bromeliads and their hybrids, due to their varied forms and beautiful colors, are commonly cultivated as houseplants, or in warm climates as landscape plants. They are particularly suitable for vivarium culture. Their needs are simple, mainly consisting of bright light (most forms will revert to green if lighting is sub-optimal) and an airy growing medium - some species do not do well in soil and will be prone to rot due to their nature as epiphytes. In

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...

regions where temperatures fall below , they must be grown under glass or as

houseplants A houseplant, sometimes known as a pot plant, potted plant, or an indoor plant, is an ornamental plant that is grown indoors. As such, they are found in places like residences and offices, mainly for decorative purposes. Common houseplants are us ...

. There are over 5000 registered cultivars.

Symbiosis

Neoregelias are utilized by many species of poison dart frog to reproduce. The frogs raise their tadpoles in the security of the water-filled cup in the bromeliads' rosettes, allowing them to stay in the relative safety of the treetops and not have to venture to a pool on the ground where predators are likely much more numerous. Waste products from the frogs and their offspring, once deposited into the cup, are utilized by the plant for nourishment.https://www.aqua.org/blog/2013/July/the-life-cycle-of-poison-dart-frogs-explained

Subgenera

, the Encyclopaedia of Bromeliads recognized three subgenera: * ''N.'' subg. ''Longipetalopsis'' Leme * ''N.'' subg. ''Neoregelia'' * ''N.'' subg. ''Protoregelia'' W.Till & Leme A former subgenus, ''N.'' subg. ''Hylaeaicum'', was elevated to the genus '' Hylaeaicum'' in 2021.

Species

Former species

Species transferred to '' Hylaeaicum'' include: *''Neoregelia eleutheropetala'' → '' Hylaeaicum eleutheropetalum'' (Ule) Leme & Forzza *''Neoregelia leviana'' → '' Hylaeaicum levianum'' (L.B.Sm.) Leme & Forzza *''Neoregelia margaretae'' → '' Hylaeaicum margaretae'' (L.B.Sm.) Leme & Forzza *''Neoregelia mooreana'' → '' Hylaeaicum mooreanum'' (L.B.Sm.) Leme, Zizka & Aguirre-Santoro *''Neoregelia myrmecophila'' → '' Hylaeaicum myrmecophilum'' (Ule) Leme & Forzza *''Neoregelia pendula'' → '' Hylaeaicum pendulum'' (L.B.Sm.) Leme, Zizka & Aguirre-Santoro *''Neoregelia rosea'' → '' Hylaeaicum roseum'' (L.B.Sm.) Leme, Zizka & Aguirre-Santoro *''Neoregelia stolonifera'' → '' Hylaeaicum stoloniferum'' (L.B.Sm.) Leme, Zizka & Aguirre-Santoro

Gallery

Image:Neoregelia 'Perfection' Plant 3008px.jpg, ''Neoregelia'' 'Perfection' plant Image:Neoregelia 'Perfection' Closeup 3008px.jpg, ''Neoregelia'' 'Perfection' closeup Image:Bromeliaceae-Neoregelia-US_Botanic_Garden.JPG, Photo of a ''Neoregelia'' at the

United States Botanic Garden The United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is a botanical garden on the grounds of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., near Garfield Circle. The Botanic Garden is supervised by the Congress through the Architect of the Capitol, who ...

. Image:Neoregelia 'Yellow Devil' 20090623.jpg, ''Neoregelia'' 'Yellow Devil' flower emerging from submerged inflorescence.

References

External links

BSI Genera Gallery
photos {{Taxonbar, from=Q139091 Bromeliaceae genera Flora of South America