Plant of the Week: Scarlet Star

• Guzmania lingulata ‘Scarlet Star’ is a colorful tropical houseplant that is relatively easy to care for. It’s a member of the bromeliad family. Bromeliads are either epiphytic or terrestrial. In the wild, Scarlet Star is epiphytic, which means it grows on other plants, using them for support. Bromeliads can be made terrestrial, or grown in soil, by planting them in containers. Scarlet Star is slightly vase-shaped with glossy green straplike leaves that have smooth edges. The flower stalk rises through the center of the plant, and colorful bracts appear. The bracts of bromeliads are often mistaken for flowers, but they’re actually brightly colored modified leaves that attract pollinators to the plant’s small and less colorful flowers. Other plants that have brightly colored bracts are poinsettias and dogwoods. Bromeliads’ flowers are found close to the stem and last only a few days, while the stiff bracts remain for several months. Bromeliads thrive in high humidity and low light. Bromeliads with bracts of hot pink, yellow and red can be seen on the North Conservatory Bridge, in the Tropical Rainforest area and in the Grand Atrium of the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

— Barbara Arnold

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens