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Bromeliads are monocots and belong to the
order of Bromeliiflorae and are endemic to the
Americas with the exception of one species
in Western Africa. On the American continent they have their highest
diversity in South America in tropical and sub-tropical habitats but
they also can be found in the higher regions of the Andes.
They occur either as epiphytes or airplants and terrestrial
or rooted in the soil, One specie, the pineapple has commercial
value in the fruit industry and it is grown extensively on plantations
on the Ecuadorian coastal plains. |
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Ecuador boasts of hundreds of species
of various sizes and forms, terrestrial and epiphytic ones,
ranging from high paramo regions of 4000m to the lower tropical
regions, where they are especially bountiful.
Many species are epiphytic, sitting as airplants in trees
or even on artificial structures. In this photo taken in the
Pululahua geo-botanical reserve, hundreds of them almost cover
completely a tree. They do not need to be rooted in the soil like
other plants as they take up water and nutrients through specialized roots
and leaves. They are not parasites taking
anything from the tree but through the weight of the water break
off branches. |
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Evolutionary Stages
Bromeliads are interesting because they show a wide range of evolution,
from primitive to highly developed plants, with great variations in size
and adaptations to the environment. Below 3 examples of the evolutionary
stages are explained with a typical specie occurring in Ecuador shown. |
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Primitive stage:
PUYA
Those terrestrial bromeliads grow in the high paramo regions of
the Andes up to altitudes of 4000m and higher.
They have fully developed roots for water uptake, an elongated
stem reaching up several meters, leaves with narrow leafstalks,
and hair cover on stem, which prevents water loss.
The flowers are big and are colored blue, violet or yellow and
grow set in the hairy stem to be protected from the cold.
The seeds are sought out by the spectacled bear which considers
them a very special treat and helps so to disperse them
through its feces. |
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Intermediate
stage: GUZMANIA
The leave stalks of those
bromeliads are expanded to form a water holding tank at the
base. Water gathers there and is then absorbed by the plant as
needed through leaf hairs or adventitious roots. Dead organic
materials like leaves and dead insects, which dissolve in the water are also
taken up and serve as an important nutritional source.
They occur as epiphytes or terrestrial and are found in the
tropical or sub-tropical regions. They often serve as a habitat to algae, protozoan,
crabs, insects and frogs.
In return for
providing a home, the plant receives
dissolved nutrients by way of the animal's waste and
decomposition. |
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Advanced
stage: TILLANDSIA
Those bromeliads are epiphytic and sit on trees but even on electrical or telephone wires can they
be found. The roots serve only as an
anchor or in some cases like
Spanish moss or Old Man's Beard are completely absent in adult plants. Water
and nutrients (dust particles) suspended in the air are absorbed by specialized leaf scales.
The seeds are often dispersed by birds, whose feces stick to
the wires with the seeds. |
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Bromeliads are grown for their exotic stalks and flowers
and sold in many garden centers. Most of them however cannot
tolerate frost and need to be inside.
Propagation is by way of suckers
or by seed which are often dispersed by birds or other animals.
In many species the mother plant
dies after blooming once similar to the Agaves but
producing rhizomes at the base, which may develop new
plants. |
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Some
bromeliad species are used for natural fiber extraction but the best
known and most commercially grown bromeliad is the pineapple.
It is a terrestrial plant of
up to one meter
in height, having a water
holding leaf structure and growing in the
tropical regions of the country. |
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