Aechmea in flower

Aechmea 'Pepita Elegant Flames', a silver vase with red flowers

Aechmea 'Pepita Elegant Flames' shines brighter in our living rooms than in the forests of South America. This plant, a member of the Bromeliaceae family, is a cultivar created to provide us with brilliant red blooms.

How to recognize Aechmea 'Pepita Elegant Flames'?

Aechmea 'Pepita Elegant Flames' grows to a maximum height of 50 centimetres, with a spread of 30 centimetres. It is an epiphytic perennial with evergreen foliage.

The plant has no stem. Its lanceolate leaves grow from a central rosette. Dark green, they are plain and not patterned like those of their ancestor aechmea fasciata, or their sister, aechmea 'Primera'. Black spines, which hem in the leaf blades, are present on most specimens.

Aechmea usually flowers in summer. A red, flower-laden bract rises from the heart of the leaf rosette. When they first open, the flowers are yellow, then turn white. But Aechmea 'Pepita Elegant Flames' doesn't bloom forever. After six months of this spectacle, the inflorescence fades and the plant dies out, but not without giving birth to new shoots.

Aechmea 'Pepita Elegant Flames' presents no danger if touched or ingested. Some cultivars even have their thorns removed, so you can handle the long leaves without injury.

Our maintenance tips

Aechmea 'Pepita Elegant Flames are often sold already in flower. If you're growing offshoots, be patient! It takes three or four years for the plant to flower.

Watering

Always water your aechmea 'Pepita Elegant Flames with fresh water at room temperature. Preferably use rainwater.

When watering, pour the water into the heart of the plant, into the reservoir formed by the leaves. Water regularly, but not heavily. Keep the soil moist in summer, but allow the surface to dry out in winter.

Aechmea 'Pepita Elegant Flames like to keep two to three centimetres of water at the heart of the rosette. But don't let the water stagnate too long. Before watering, drain off any residual water by tilting the plant slightly.

Spray

Aechmea 'Pepita Elegant Flames like humidity. Mist their foliage with non-calcareous water at room temperature.

Spray the substrate if it is dry.

Repotting

In spring, transfer your Aechmea fasciata 'Pepita Elegant Flames' to a larger pot, so that it can continue to grow.

Choose a pierced pot twelve to fifteen centimetres in diameter. Line the bottom with a bed of clay balls for drainage.

Then add an aerated substrate. You can buy potting soil for bromeliads or mix orchid potting soil, perlite and coconut fibre. Plant aechmea 'Pepita Elegant Flames in the center, without burying it too deeply.

To maintain a high level of humidity, place the pot on a dish filled with moist clay balls.

Fertilization

You can stimulate the development of your plant during its growth phase, in spring and summer, with fertilizer.

Apply liquid fertilizer for green plants when watering.

Cleaning

It is not advisable to clean the foliage. Leaves are covered with trichomes, small transparent hairs that capture moisture. They are fragile and can be damaged by dusting.

If your plant gets dusty, it's best to baste the foliage with lukewarm water.

Cutting

Wait until the end of flowering to propagate your Aechmea 'Pepita Elegant Flames'.

Wait until the shoots are at least eight centimetres high before taking them. The taller they are, the more likely they are to survive.

Use a clean knife to separate the shoots. Cut as close as possible to the mother plant. Then dig up your cutting.

Aechmea 'Pepita Elegant Flames are epiphytic plants. They use their roots to anchor themselves in their support, not to feed. So don't worry if your cutting has few or no roots.

Prepare a pierced pot adapted to the size of your cutting. Aechmea 'Pepita Elegant Flames like to be cramped. The container doesn't have to be large (eight centimetres in diameter is enough), but it should be deep enough to support the weight of the plant without tipping over.

Place a layer of clay balls at the bottom for drainage. Then add a potting soil for bromeliads. You can also make your own substrate by mixing orchid potting soil and green plant compost.

Plant your seedling in the center of the pot. Don' t bury it too deeply. Pack lightly and water with non-calcareous water to moisten the soil.

Cuttings sometimes have trouble standing up straight on their own. You can stake the plant to support it.

Disease / Threat

Mealybug, accompanied by ants for its honeydew.

Mealybugs

Information

Family	Bromeliads - Bromeliaceae
Type	Aechmea - Aechmea
Species	Silver vase - Aechmea fasciata
Lifecycle	Perennial
Foliage	Evergreen
Exposure	Half-shade
Substrat	Humus soil
Planting method	In pots
Categories	Interior Herbaceous Flowery
Tags	Beginner Flowery
Origin	South America
Hardiness (USDA)	11a
Leaf color
Flower colors