236 Species of Genus Vriesea

Vriesea: A Bromeliad Passion of Mine

My fascination with the plant world began early, a childhood spent exploring the verdant tapestry of my native Vietnam. Among the countless species that captured my imagination, the Vriesea genus holds a special place in my heart. These stunning bromeliads, with their vibrant foliage and striking inflorescences, never cease to amaze me.

Vriesea are epiphytic plants, meaning they grow on other plants for support, typically trees, though they aren’t parasitic. Imagine them perched on branches, their leaves forming rosette-shaped tanks that collect rainwater and nutrients. This ingenious adaptation allows them to thrive in the humid rainforests of Central and South America, their natural habitat.

What truly sets Vriesea apart is their incredible diversity. From the fiery red bracts of Vriesea splendens to the delicate pink hues of Vriesea carinata, each species boasts its own unique beauty. The inflorescences, often resembling swords or feathers, rise from the center of the rosette, adding a touch of drama to their already captivating forms.

A Closer Look at Vriesea Species

The Vriesea genus is vast, encompassing hundreds of recognized species. Here are:

1. Vriesea agostiniana E.Pereira
2. Vriesea alta (Baker) É.Morren ex Mez
3. Vriesea altimontana E.Pereira & Martinelli
4. Vriesea altobocainensis S.E.Martins & Wand.
5. Vriesea altodaserrae L.B.Sm.
6. Vriesea altomacaensis A.Costa
7. Vriesea altomayoensis H.Luther & K.F.Norton
8. Vriesea amethystina É.Morren
9. Vriesea andreettae Rauh
10. Vriesea appendiculata (L.B.Sm.) L.B.Sm.
11. Vriesea arachnoidea A.Costa
12. Vriesea arpocalyx (André) L.B.Sm.
13. Vriesea atra Mez
14. Vriesea atrococcinea Rauh
15. Vriesea atropurpurea Silveira
16. Vriesea aureoramosa F.P.Uribbe & A.F.Costa
17. Vriesea bahiana Leme
18. Vriesea barbosae J.A.Siqueira & Leme
19. Vriesea barilletii É.Morren
20. Vriesea baturitensis Versieux & Tomaz
21. Vriesea biguassuensis Reitz
22. Vriesea billbergioides É.Morren ex Mez
23. Vriesea bituminosa Wawra
24. Vriesea blackburniana Leme
25. Vriesea bleheri Roeth & W.Weber
26. Vriesea boeghii H.Luther
27. Vriesea breviscapa (E.Pereira & I.A.Penna) Leme
28. Vriesea × brueggemannii J.Z.Matos, M.B.Crespo & Juan
29. Vriesea brusquensis Reitz
30. Vriesea cacuminis L.B.Sm.
31. Vriesea calimaniana Leme & W.Till
32. Vriesea capixabae Leme
33. Vriesea carinata Wawra
34. Vriesea carmeniae R.L.Moura & A.F.Costa
35. Vriesea castaneobulbosa (Mez & Wercklé) J.R.Grant
36. Vriesea cathcartii H.Luther
37. Vriesea cearensis L.B.Sm.
38. Vriesea cereicola (Mez) L.B.Sm.
39. Vriesea chapadensis Leme
40. Vriesea cipoensis O.B.C.Ribeiro, C.C.Paula & Guarçoni
41. Vriesea claudiana Leme, Trind.-Lima & O.B.C.Ribeiro
42. Vriesea clausseniana (Baker) Mez
43. Vriesea colnagoi E.Pereira & I.A.Penna
44. Vriesea confusa L.B.Sm.
45. Vriesea corcovadensis (Britton) Mez
46. Vriesea correia-arauji E.Pereira & I.A.Penna
47. Vriesea crassa Mez
48. Vriesea curvispica Rauh
49. Vriesea cylindrica L.B.Sm.
50. Vriesea debilis Leme
51. Vriesea declinata Leme
52. Vriesea delicatula L.B.Sm.
53. Vriesea densiflora Mez
54. Vriesea diamantinensis Leme
55. Vriesea dictyographa Leme
56. Vriesea dissitiflora (C.Wright) Mez
57. Vriesea drepanocarpa (Baker) Mez
58. Vriesea drewii L.B.Sm.
59. Vriesea duvaliana É.Morren
60. Vriesea eltoniana E.Pereira & Ivo
61. Vriesea ensiformis (Vell.) Beer
62. Vriesea erythrodactylon (É.Morren) É.Morren ex Mez
63. Vriesea exaltata Leme
64. Vriesea fenestralis Linden & André
65. Vriesea fidelensis Leme
66. Vriesea flammea L.B.Sm.
67. Vriesea flava And.Costa, H.Luther & Wand.
68. Vriesea fluminensis E.Pereira
69. Vriesea fluviatilis Kessous & A.F.Costa
70. Vriesea fontanae Fraga & Leme
71. Vriesea fontourae B.R.Silva
72. Vriesea fosteriana L.B.Sm.
73. Vriesea fradensis And.Costa
74. Vriesea friburgensis Mez
75. Vriesea garlippiana Leme
76. Vriesea gelatinosa R.L.Moura & A.F.Costa
77. Vriesea gigantea Gaudich.
78. Vriesea gladioflammans E.Pereira & Reitz
79. Vriesea gracilior (L.B.Sm.) Leme
80. Vriesea graciliscapa W.Weber
81. Vriesea gradata (Baker) Mez
82. Vriesea grandiflora Leme
83. Vriesea guttata Linden & André
84. Vriesea harmsiana (L.B.Sm.) L.B.Sm.
85. Vriesea heterostachys (Baker) L.B.Sm.
86. Vriesea hieroglyphica (Carrière) É.Morren
87. Vriesea hitchcockiana (L.B.Sm.) L.B.Sm.
88. Vriesea hodgei L.B.Sm.
89. Vriesea hoehneana L.B.Sm.
90. Vriesea hydrophora Ule
91. Vriesea incurva (Griseb.) Read
92. Vriesea incurvata Gaudich.
93. Vriesea inflata (Wawra) Wawra
94. Vriesea interrogatoria L.B.Sm.
95. Vriesea itatiaiae Wawra
96. Vriesea johnstonii (Mez) L.B.Sm. & Pittendr.
97. Vriesea jonesiana Leme
98. Vriesea jonghei (K.Koch) É.Morren
99. Vriesea joyae E.Pereira & I.A.Penna
100. Vriesea kautskyana E.Pereira & I.A.Penna
101. Vriesea koideae Rauh
102. Vriesea languida L.B.Sm.
103. Vriesea laxa Mez
104. Vriesea leptantha Harms
105. Vriesea lidicensis Reitz
106. Vriesea lilliputiana Leme
107. Vriesea limonensis Rauh
108. Vriesea linharesiae Leme & J.A.Siqueira
109. Vriesea longicaulis (Baker) Mez
110. Vriesea longiscapa Ule
111. Vriesea longisepala A.F.Costa
112. Vriesea longistaminea C.C.Paula & Leme
113. Vriesea lubbersii (Baker) É.Morren ex Mez
114. Vriesea macrostachya (Bello) Mez
115. Vriesea maculosa Mez
116. Vriesea magna F.P.Uribbe & A.F.Costa
117. Vriesea maguirei L.B.Sm.
118. Vriesea marceloi Versieux & T.Machado
119. Vriesea maxoniana (L.B.Sm.) L.B.Sm.
120. Vriesea medusa Versieux
121. Vriesea melgueiroi I.Ramírez & Carnevali
122. Vriesea menescalii E.Pereira & Leme
123. Vriesea michaelii W.Weber
124. Vriesea microrachis J.Gomes-da-Silva & A.F.Costa
125. Vriesea mimosoensis D.R.Couto, Kessous & A.F.Costa
126. Vriesea minarum L.B.Sm.
127. Vriesea minor (L.B.Sm.) Leme
128. Vriesea minuta Leme
129. Vriesea minutiflora Leme
130. Vriesea mitoura L.B.Sm.
131. Vriesea modesta Mez
132. Vriesea mollis Leme
133. Vriesea monacorum L.B.Sm.
134. Vriesea morreni Wawra
135. Vriesea × morreniana É.Morren
136. Vriesea mourae Kessous, B.Neves & A.F.Costa
137. Vriesea muelleri Mez
138. Vriesea nanuzae Leme
139. Vriesea neoglutinosa Mez
140. Vriesea noblickii Martinelli & Leme
141. Vriesea nubicola Leme
142. Vriesea olmosana L.B.Sm.
143. Vriesea oxapampae Rauh
144. Vriesea pabstii McWill. & L.B.Sm.
145. Vriesea paradoxa Mez
146. Vriesea paraibica Wawra
147. Vriesea paratiensis E.Pereira
148. Vriesea pardalina Mez
149. Vriesea parviflora L.B.Sm.
150. Vriesea parvula Rauh
151. Vriesea pastuchoffiana Glaz. ex Mez
152. Vriesea pauciflora Mez
153. Vriesea pauperrima E.Pereira
154. Vriesea penduliflora L.B.Sm.
155. Vriesea penduliscapa Rauh
156. Vriesea pereirae L.B.Sm.
157. Vriesea petraea (L.B.Sm.) L.B.Sm.
158. Vriesea philippocoburgi Wawra
159. Vriesea pinottii Reitz
160. Vriesea piscatrix Versieux & Wand.
161. Vriesea platynema Gaudich.
162. Vriesea platzmannii É.Morren
163. Vriesea pleiosticha (Griseb.) Gouda
164. Vriesea poenulata (Baker) É.Morren ex Mez
165. Vriesea portentosa Leme
166. Vriesea procera (Mart. ex Schult. & Schult.f.) Wittm.
167. Vriesea pseudoatra Leme
168. Vriesea psittacina (Hook.) Lindl.
169. Vriesea pulchra Leme & L.Kollmann
170. Vriesea punctulata E.Pereira & I.A.Penna
171. Vriesea racinae L.B.Sm.
172. Vriesea rafaelii Leme
173. Vriesea rastrensis Leme
174. Vriesea rectifolia Rauh
175. Vriesea recurvata Gaudich.
176. Vriesea regnellii Mez
177. Vriesea reitzii Leme & And.Costa
178. Vriesea repandostachys Leme
179. Vriesea × retroflexa É.Morren
180. Vriesea revoluta B.R.Silva
181. Vriesea rhodostachys L.B.Sm.
182. Vriesea roberto-seidelii W.Weber
183. Vriesea robusta (Griseb.) L.B.Sm.
184. Vriesea rodigasiana É.Morren
185. Vriesea roethii W.Weber
186. Vriesea rubens J.Gomes-da-Silva & A.F.Costa
187. Vriesea rubrobracteata Rauh
188. Vriesea rubroviridis F.P.Uribbe & A.F.Costa
189. Vriesea rubyae E.Pereira
190. Vriesea ruschii L.B.Sm.
191. Vriesea saltensis Leme & L.Kollmann
192. Vriesea sanctaparecidae Leme
193. Vriesea sanfranciscana Versieux & Wand.
194. Vriesea santaleopoldinensis Leme & L.Kollmann
195. Vriesea saundersii (Carrière) É.Morren
196. Vriesea saxicola L.B.Sm.
197. Vriesea sazimae Leme
198. Vriesea scalaris É.Morren
199. Vriesea sceptrum Mez
200. Vriesea schultesiana L.B.Sm.
201. Vriesea schunkii Leme
202. Vriesea schwackeana Mez
203. Vriesea secundiflora Leme
204. Vriesea segadas-viannae L.B.Sm.
205. Vriesea seideliana W.Weber
206. Vriesea serrana E.Pereira & I.A.Penna
207. Vriesea serranegrensis Leme
208. Vriesea silvana Leme
209. Vriesea simplex (Vell.) Beer
210. Vriesea simulans Leme
211. Vriesea sincorana Mez
212. Vriesea skotakii H.Luther & K.F.Norton
213. Vriesea socialis L.B.Sm.
214. Vriesea sparsiflora L.B.Sm.
215. Vriesea speckmaieri W.Till
216. Vriesea stricta L.B.Sm.
217. Vriesea sucrei L.B.Sm. & Read
218. Vriesea sulcata L.B.Sm.
219. Vriesea takahashiana Leme & W.Till
220. Vriesea taritubensis E.Pereira & I.A.Penna
221. Vriesea teresopolitana Leme
222. Vriesea thyrsoidea Mez
223. Vriesea tijucana E.Pereira
224. Vriesea triangularis Reitz
225. Vriesea triligulata Mez
226. Vriesea tubipetala Leme & R.L.Moura
227. Vriesea unilateralis (Baker) Mez
228. Vriesea vagans (L.B.Sm.) L.B.Sm.
229. Vriesea vexillata L.B.Sm.
230. Vriesea vidalii L.B.Sm. & Handro
231. Vriesea vulpinoidea L.B.Sm.
232. Vriesea wawrana Antoine
233. Vriesea weberi E.Pereira & I.A.Penna
234. Vriesea wuelfinghoffii Rauh & E.Gross
235. Vriesea wurdackii L.B.Sm.
236. Vriesea zildae R.L.Moura & A.F.Costa

Cultivating Vriesea: A Rewarding Endeavor

While their exotic origins might seem intimidating, Vriesea are surprisingly easy to care for, even outside their native tropical environment. They thrive in bright, indirect light and prefer well-draining soil. Remember their epiphytic nature – they don’t like to be overwatered. Keeping the central tank filled with water and misting the leaves regularly will keep them happy.

One of the most rewarding aspects of growing Vriesea is their longevity. Unlike many flowering plants, their inflorescences can last for months, providing a long-lasting display of color. Even after the flowers fade, the foliage remains attractive, and the plant will often produce offsets, or “pups,” allowing you to propagate new plants.

The Allure of Vriesea

For me, Vriesea represent more than just beautiful plants. They symbolize resilience, adaptability, and the incredible diversity of the natural world. Each time I admire their vibrant colors and intricate forms, I’m reminded of the endless wonders that nature has to offer. Whether you’re a seasoned plant enthusiast or just starting your journey into the world of horticulture, I encourage you to explore the fascinating genus of Vriesea. You might just find yourself captivated by their unique charm, as I have been.