Scientific Name:
Aechmea fasciata
Pronunciation:
EEK-mee-uh fash-ee-AY-tuh
Common Name:
silver urn plant, silver vase
Family Name:
Bromeliaceae
Plant Type:
Flowering pot plant, Indoor foliage plant
Key ID Features:
Vase-shaped; leaves in a basal rosette, appearing spiraled on older plants but with no discernible stem, most 30-80cm long x 6-10cm wide, arching to curled around almost full circle, grey-green with silverish-grey bands; flowers in a rosette of pink bracts.
Habit:
Arching, Upright
Form:
Vase
Texture:
Coarse
Mature Height:
0.4 - 0.7m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
Central America, South America (Brazil (Rio de Janeiro))
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 10: (-1 to 4 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Low
Landscape Uses:
Indoor plant
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Spiraled, Basal
Texture/Venation:
Leathery, Prickly, Parallel venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Glaucous, Pubescent
Colour in Summer:
Green, Silver / Grayish, White hairs
Shapes:
Lanceolate
Apices:
Acuminate
Bases:
Sheathing
Margins:
Pectinate
Additional Info:
Epiphytic in nature
Inflorescence Type:
Spike
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
3
Corolla Shape:
Tubular
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Blue, Pink (Short-lived blue petals; long-lived pink bracts.)
Flower Time at Peak:
Jun, Jul, Aug
Fruit Type:
Berry (true)
Fruit Colour:
White
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Bark or Stem Colour:
n/a
Organ Modifications:
Leaf-like bracts, Rhizomes, Spines, Succulent leaves
Propagation:
Seed, Division - above ground parts
Optimal Temp.:
Medium
Light Level:
Medium
Maintenance:
Low
Other:
Flower initiation caused by maturity and ethylene.
Pest Susceptibility:
Crown rot, Mealybugs, Root rot, Scale insects
