KENDRA ROCKE
The cryptanthus bromeliad is one of the most overlooked beauties of the bromeliad family, but once you get to know them I am sure you will be captivated. The cryptanthus bromeliad has its origin in Brazil, and as terrestrial natives they grow on the rain forest floors in natural habitat. A few are saxicolous (growing among rocks). Commonly called “earth stars,” there are ten to 20 species in the Cryptanthus genus and over 1,200 varieties among them. With good care they can live for up to ten years. Most are mono-layered plants with little leaf overlap giving the appearance like stars.
Trinidad and Tobago has the perfect climate for growing earth stars, as they thrive well in morning or indirect sun, do well growing in the ground or containers with moderate humidity. They prefer more water retentive soil with proper drainage and are not suitable for mounting like most other epiphytic bromeliads.
Since I developed a passion for collecting and growing cryptanthus bromeliads a few years ago, I have found that there is a limited number of species or hybrids available in TT and as such commenced my exploration. For the collector some are rare and sometimes costly to obtain, but if you are an enthusiast you acquire via trade with other collectors or visits to international shows, where you keep an eye out for the new releases and rare treasures.
[caption id="attachment_995928" align="alignnone" width="225"] Crypthanthus bromeliads can grow in concrete and clay pots.[/caption]
I must say, they are excellent plants for low maintenance garden spaces. Noticeable are the colour changes with different growing conditions that affect the appearance of the plant. My interest in collecting them heightened with the amazingly varied and beautiful foliage ranging from dark green and variegated to bright reds and pinks to silvery stripes. I grow them close to the ground and have varieties with leaf span from five to 16 inches in my garden. They provide constant pops of colour to the landscape with minimal care.
Crypthanthus get its name from the Greek words meaning "hidden flower," although the white stemless flowers perched in the middle of the plant are not hidden at all. Crypthanthus, like other bromeliads, flower once during their lifetime, but reward the owner with offsets called “pups” (at the right time) to carry on the species. Once the pup is roughly one third to a half the size of the mother plant they can be removed and potted, as such Bromeliads are considered as the plant that keeps on giving.
It’s good practice to label your plants, as it may save you from repeat purchase of the same plant. Earth stars have very interesting names and labelling them will assist the collector in identifying the plants as well as ease of reference when discussing with other collectors.
In my collection are the following: red star, pink starlite, zonatus, cafe au lait, yasira, Elaine, living colours, Betty, circuit breaker, black mystic, beuckeri, green eye gravy, ruby slippers, fudge ripple, strawberry flambe, wi
