Common name: Summer Torch (Bromeliaceae – pineapple family)

Billbergia pyramidalis is a bromeliad from Brazil. Every summer it blooms without fail and quickly grows pups to create an unusual groundcover. It has a large vase, and mostly red flowers with yellow and purple highlights.

Very hardy and beautiful, bromeliads handle life differently than other plants. Most are epiphytic, their roots are little more than supports or hold-fasts. Their leaves do most of the work. The leaves form a tank to collect and hold moisture. These tanks also catch the leaves discarded by the trees towering over them. As the detritus decays, the bromeliad leaves absorb the nutrients. Bromeliads are adapted to making do with few resources and they do it very well.

A fauna refuge: create a sanctuary for little frogs in the water-filled well of the Bromeliad. To use as a habitat for frogs, plant in a shady spot around a water feature and remember to keep the vessel of the plant topped up with water.