BILLBERGIA. Mexico to S. America. These are tough, easily grown bromeliads, several of them hardy enough for outdoor use in coastal gardens and overwintered indoors elsewhere. They form tight clumps of shoots, each a neat rosette of narrowly sword shaped leaves margined with short spines. The flowering stems are lined with brightly painted bracts and bear nodding clusters of tubular blossoms with spreading tips, often in unusual color combinations. They are excellent container plants. Sun or light shade near the coast, part shade elsewhere, reasonably well drained soil, moderate watering. Hardy to around 25oF.
nutans, Queen's tears, is by far the best known of the lot, and one of the toughest. It has nearly erect, narrow 1' leaves, dark green and shiny on the upper surface. Flower stems 1' to 1½' long with (in this selection) hot pink bracts and bright green flowers, margined in blue, appear throughout the winter months.
x windii. A hybrid involving the above species and distinguished from it by shorter, broader leaves and thicker, more drooping flower stems with broad, coral pink bracts. Flowers are like those of B. nutans.