Billbergia pyramidalis in bloom

Credit: Timm Stolten

Billbergia pyramidalis in the ground

Credit: Nicola van Berkel

Reservoir in the center of a Billbergia pyramidalis

Credit: Suvarna Parhoo Mohan

Billbergia pyramidalis flowers

Credit: HQ Flower guide

Billbergia pyramidalis, the flaming torch of the plant world

Billbergia pyramidalis is native to the Caribbean islands and South America. This plant of the Bromeliaceae family thrives in tropical forest areas. Its name refers to the spectacular shape of its inflorescence.

How to recognize Billbergia pyramidalis?

A herbaceous, epiphytic plant with a spreading habit, Billbergia pyramidalis is 50 centimetres high and 30 centimetres wide.

The plant is acaule. Its foliage forms a rosette of linear-lanceolate leaves three to six centimetres wide and 50 to 60 centimetres long. They are apple-green and gray, with brown spines at their margins.

Flowering lasts all summer and continues into autumn. The inflorescence appears at the top of a 25-centimeter-long flowering spike, shaped like an inverted pyramid. It consists of red sepals with purple tips and bright red petals with blue-violet tips. Billbergia pyramidalis, like neoregelia carolinae, is monocarpic. It blooms only once and then dies.

Before withering, it takes care to produce fleshy, purple, seed-filled berries. Like the shoots at the base of the plant, they enable Billbergia pyramidalis to multiply.

Despite its nickname of "flaming torch", Billbergia pyramidalis is harmless. It is not toxic to living beings on contact or if ingested.

Our maintenance tips

When repotting your Billbergia pyramidalis, preferably use a terracotta pot. This material, which is heavier than plastic, will ensure greater stability and prevent your plant from toppling over under its own weight when it reaches adult size.

Watering

Allow potting soil to dry on the surface (at least 3 cm). Water the substrate with rainwater. It should be damp but not soggy.

In summer, when the temperature is above 20°C, pour a few drops of water into the reservoir at the heart of the rosette. Empty it and replace the water every week to keep it clean.

Don't forget to remove any stagnant water from the cup or pot cover.

Spray

Mist foliage to increase humidity and repel pests. Always spray with rainwater. Tap water is too hard and leaves white marks on the leaves.

Repotting

In spring, transfer your Billbergia pyramidalis to a larger pot, so that it can continue to grow.

Choose a pot witha diameter of around ten centimetres.

Fill it with a commercially available bromeliad substrate. Water the potting soil to facilitate repotting. Plant your Billbergia pyramidalis in the center and tamp to ensure stability.

You can place the pot on a dish lined with moist clay balls to increase humidity.

Fertilization

Add green plant fertilizer to watering water.

Also apply a foliar fertilizer for bromeliads when misting.

Cutting

Wait until the end of flowering to propagate your Billbergia pyramidalis.

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.

Billbergia pyramidalis 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.

Fill your pot with potting soil for bromeliads and water. Plant your Billbergia pyramidalis in the center and tamp.

Water regularly to keep the potting soil moist for the first two months. Once the plant is well established, you can water it as you would a mature plant.

Diseases / Threats

Powdery mildew

Aphids

Mealybugs

Information

Family	Bromeliads - Bromeliaceae
Type	Billbergie - Billbergia
Species	Billbergia pyramidalis - Billbergia pyramidalis
Lifecycle	Perennial
Foliage	Evergreen
Exposure	Sun
Substrat	Humus soil
Planting method	In pots
Categories	Interior Flowery
Tags	Beginner Flowery
Origin	South America
Hardiness (USDA)	9b
Leaf color
Flower colors