''Neoregelia'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

epiphytic An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another 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 epiphyt ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Bromeliaceae The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, ...

, subfamily

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

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

South American South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

rainforests Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

. The genus name is for

Eduard August von Regel Eduard Model Accessories is a Czech manufacturer of plastic models and finescale model accessories. History Formed in 1989 in the city of Most, Eduard began in a rented cellar as a manufacturer of photoetched brass model components. Fol ...

, 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 on soil, 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 nutrients, 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 many color combinations, many also striped with white, have been produced. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

s of these plants form in the shallow central depression - the "cup" - of the plant, which often partially fills 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 (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

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

houseplants A houseplant, also known as a pot plant, potted plant, or indoor plant, is an ornamental plant cultivated indoors. for aesthetic or practical purposes. These plants are commonly found in House, homes, Office, offices, and various indoor spaces, w ...

. There are over 5000 registered

cultivars A cultivar is a kind of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and which retains those traits when propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue cult ...

Symbiosis

Neoregelias are utilized by many species of

poison dart frog Poison dart frog (also known as dart-poison frog, poison frog or formerly known as poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to tropical Central and South America. These species are ...

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.

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 ''Hylaeaicum'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Bromeliaceae, native to tropical northern South America. The taxon was first described by Ernst Heinrich Georg Ule in 1935 as a subgenus of "''Aregelia''" (an illegitimate genus name). It ...

'' in 2021.

Species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

accepted the following species: *'' Neoregelia abendrothae'' L.B.Sm. *'' Neoregelia altocaririensis'' Leme & L.Kollmann *'' Neoregelia alvimii'' Roeth *''

Neoregelia amandae ''Neoregelia'' is a genus of epiphyte, epiphytic flowering plants in the family (biology), family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae, native plant, native to South American rainforests. The genus name is for Eduard August von Regel, Director ...

Former species

Species transferred to ''

'' 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 the James A. Garfield Monument. The Botanic Garden is supervised by the United States Congress, Congress throug ...

. 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 Southern America