Evening star., 1940-08-03
Billbergia
Unusual
Plant
Needs Little Care
And Grows Under
Any Conditions
By AGNES TRIMBLE.

Now is a marvellous time, during
these warm and lazy days, to scout
around for unusual and different
house plants which will be needed
to lend a bright and CHEEKY touch
when Old Man Winter moves in.
Not meaning to rush you-but far
too soon autumn will arrive and
find all of us entirely too busy for
plant scouting.
Billbergia is just such plant. Do
try one or two in your living room
or sun parlor. They are most anus
ing and lots of fun to experiment
with-and there's no end to the
questioning they will compel from
strangers.
Billbergia, a member of very old
tropical American plant family,
Bromeliaceae, is genus of about
40 species of the evergreen epiphyti-
cal plants, and is named for the
Swedish botanist, Billberg.
This most agreeable plant never
complains of where or how it is to
live-in a pot filled with loose soil
containing about so percent leaf
mold, in a small decorative vase
containing only water, or in a wire
container with only a bit of moss
about its roots and suspended high
in sunny window-it will blossom
in all its glory. 1t will even thrive
and be happy-as flowers go-and
perform all its displaying qualities
if 1t is just attached in some way to
the wall or to some other plan-not
in a container either. Because of
its parasitic nature 1t does not mind
in the least sponging-or to be mo-
dern. being on relief.
Billbergia is accommodating
comes in various sizes, large and
small, from tiny plants to frow in
vase to very large ones with
handsome leaves. 1t is the house
plant type, however. that we are
interested in, with its bright green
stemless foliage, forming a rosette-
like plant. It's leathery, sword
shaped leaves resemble those of
the pineapple-a very near relative
and with age, this foliage turns
a reddish hue. The lower leaves,
long and fiat, gradually diminish
in size as they reach the center or
body OF the plant, where the at
tractive bloom of spike-like petals
bursts forth, showing long thread
like stamens.
Another interesting thing about
this odd plant is that in it's funnel
shaped bloom water can usually be
seen-perhaps the reason why this
plant is seldom thirsty.
The vivid red blossoms are the
shoWiest, but some growers favor
the soft silver-tone flowers. Both
varieties, rising up from the center
of the rosette of long spiny-edged
foliage, are most effective. A rare
and expensive type is the Lindeni,
beautiful deep blue. A small
plant of this type costs $25 to $35-
so, it might be well to get acquaint-
ed with one of the less expensive
ones first.
Billbergia makes small demands
upon the grower-it does want
plenty of light, sun and warm tenn
perature, for after all it is a tropi-
cal plant. 1t shifts into the air for
It's food, and in the winter seldom
needs a drink, but in the summer q
little moisture on the roots and a
little sprinkling on the leaves now
and then is necessary-no water
on the plant while blooming. New
plants are started easily from suck
ers that sprout at the base Of old
plants after Towering has finished
from two to five new plants can
usually be started from the shoots
of a single plant.