Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Herbaceous Perennial

Fascicularia bicolor

crimson bromeliad

A rosette-forming, terrestrial bromeliad with slender, spiny-toothed, rigid, mid to dark-green, evergreen leaves up to 50cm long. In summer each mature rosette produces a dense central cluster of pale sky-blue flowers surrounded by ivory-white bracts. At this time, the innermost leaves of the rosette turn scarlet red

Synonyms

Rhodostachys bicolor
Fascicularia kirchhoffiana
see moreFascicularia pitcairniifolia misapplied
Fascicularia andina

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
40 suppliers

Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing or East–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Bromeliaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Tufted
Genus: Fascicularia is a small genus of, usually terrestrial, perennial bromeliads. Toothed, linear leaves are arranged in rosettes; dense flowerheads are embedded in the centre of these rosettes
Name status: Correct
Plant range: C Chile

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow outdoors in terrestrial bromeliad compost or sharply-draining, gritty, humus-rich soil, in a sheltered frost-free location. Protect from winter wet. Under glass grow in terrestrial bromeliad compost, full light and with good ventilation. During active growth water moderately and apply a high nitrogen-based fertiliser monthly. Water more sparingly during the winter

Propagation

Propagate by offsets

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Patio and container plants

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.