Vriesea ospinae (Goudaea ospinae)

Goudaea ospinae (formerly Vriesea ospinae) originates from Colombia. It reaches a diameter of 50 cm and a height of... well, we don't know exactly. We have a very old specimen in our greenhouse that is about 1.7 m tall and shows no signs of stopping growing anytime soon. It will probably be many years before the small plants we offer here grow that large.

It grows epiphytically, mostly on the branches of large rainforest trees. Its roots cling firmly to the bark. However, it is not parasitic and does not draw nutrients from its host tree. The contrasting leaves, finely striped in light and dark green, form a rather loose, upright rosette and create a watertight funnel in the center; it is a so-called "tank bromeliad." In nature, rainwater and leaves collect in this funnel, and numerous animals and microorganisms use this water reservoir, for example, frogs for their tadpoles, mosquitoes for their larvae, and many more. Through the activity of these animals and microorganisms, the leaves that have fallen into the funnel decompose, and the Goudaea absorbs the waste products as nutrients. In this way, it is always well supplied with water and nutrients.

When the flower spike is large enough (from about 20 cm in diameter), a spectacular, yellow, often branched flower stalk grows from its center, reaching up to 50 cm in height. The individual yellow flowers are then pushed out one after the other from the sides of the flower spike over several days. After flowering (or shortly before), new plantlets, called offsets, develop from the base of the plant; these will form separate plants.

You will receive a young plant in a 5cm round pot. Perfect for mounting or planting in a terrarium.