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Wikipedia / Bromelia

Bromelia is a genus of about 70 plant species widespread across Latin America and the West Indies. It is the type genus of the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae, and its type species is B. karatas. Bromelia species are characterized by flowers with a deeply cleft calyx. The genus is named after the Swedish medical doctor and botanist (1639-1705).

Species

Image

Scientific name

Distribution

Bromelia agavifolia Brongniart ex Houllet

French Guiana

Bromelia alsodes H. St. John

from Sinaloa south to Nicaragua

Bromelia alta L.B. Smith

Guyana and Suriname

Bromelia antiacantha Bertoloni

Brazil, Uruguay

Bromelia araujoi P.J.Braun, Esteves & Scharf

Maranhão

Bromelia arenaria Ule

Brazil (Bahia)

Bromelia arubaiensis P.L. Ibisch & R. Vásquez

Bolivia

Bromelia auriculata L.B. Smith

Ceará

Bromelia balansae Mez

Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay

Bromelia binotii E. Morren ex Mez

Brazil (Espírito Santo)

Bromelia braunii Leme & E. Esteves

Tocantins

Bromelia charlesii P.J.Braun, Esteves & Scharf

Brazil (Bahia)

Bromelia chrysantha Jacquin

Venezuela, Colombia, Trinidad & Tobago

Bromelia dilatata Esteves, Hofacker & Scharf

Mato Grosso

Bromelia eitenorum L.B. Smith

Maranhão

Bromelia epiphytica L.B. Smith

Brazil (Amazonas)

Bromelia estevesii Leme

Brazil (Piauí)

Bromelia exigua Mez

Brazil (Goiás)

Bromelia flemingii I. Ramírez & Carnevali

Aragua of Venezuela

Bromelia fosteriana L.B. Smith

Suriname

Bromelia fragilis L.B. Smith

Colombia

Bromelia glaziovii Mez

Brazil (Minas Gerais and Goiás)

Bromelia goeldiana L.B. Smith

Venezuela and Brazil

Bromelia goyazensis Mez

Brazil (Goiás)

Bromelia grandiflora Mez

Brazil

Bromelia granvillei L.B. Smith & Gouda

French Guiana

Bromelia gurkeniana E. Pereira & Moutinho

Brazil

Bromelia hemisphaerica Lam.

from Guanajuato south to Panama

Bromelia hieronymi Mez

Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina

Bromelia horstii Rauh

Brazil (Mato Grosso)

Bromelia humilis Jacquin

Venezuela, Trinidad & Tobago, Netherlands Antilles

Bromelia ignaciana R. Vásquez & P.L. Ibisch

Bolivia

Bromelia interior L.B. Smith

Brazil

Bromelia irwinii L.B. Smith

Goiás

Bromelia karatas Linnaeus

West Indies; Latin America from San Luis Potosí + Sinaloa south to Brazil

Bromelia laciniosa Martius ex Schultes f.

Brazil and Argentina

Bromelia lagopus Mez

Brazil

Bromelia legrellae (E. Morren) Mez

Brazil (Pará)

Bromelia lindevaldae Leme & E. Esteves

Brazil (Bahia)

Bromelia macedoi L.B. Smith

Brazil (Goiás)

Bromelia michaelii Esteves, Hofacker & Scharf

Brazil (Goiás)

Bromelia minima Leme & E. Esteves

Brazil (Goiás)

Bromelia morreniana (Regel) Mez

northern Brazil

Bromelia nidus-puellae (André) André ex Mez

Colombia

Bromelia oliveirae L.B. Smith

Brazil (Pará)

Bromelia palmeri Mez

from Colima south to Oaxaca

Bromelia pinguin Linnaeus

West Indies; from Mexico to Ecuador and Suriname; naturalized in Florida

Bromelia poeppigii Mez

Peru

Bromelia redoutei (Baker) L.B. Smith

Guatemala.

Bromelia regnellii Mez

Brazil

Bromelia reversacantha Mez

Brazil (Goiás)

Bromelia rondoniana L.B. Smith

Rondônia

Bromelia scarlatina (hortus ex Hérincq) E. Morren

Ecuador and Brazil

Bromelia serra Grisebach

Brazil, French Guiana, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina

Bromelia superba Mez

Jamaica

Bromelia sylvicola S. Moore

Brazil (Mato Grosso)

Bromelia tarapotina Ule

Peru

Bromelia trianae Mez

Colombia

Bromelia tubulosa L.B. Smith

Venezuela and Brazil

Bromelia unaensis Leme & Scharf

Brazil (Bahia)

Bromelia urbaniana (Mez) L.B.Sm.

Paraguay and Argentina

Bromelia villosa Mez

Bolivia and Brazil

Cultivation and uses

The resistant fiber obtained from B. serra and B. hieronymi, both known as chaguar, is an essential component of the economy of the Wichí tribe in the semi-arid Gran Chaco region of Argentina. An 1841 publication described the fiber of silk grass (Bromelia karata) as "equal in durability to our best bowstrings."

References