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Bromeliad care
Guzmania lingulata · Bromeliaceae
Also called Scarlet star, Guzmania, Tongue-shaped guzmania.
This sheet covers Guzmania lingulata, one of the most common bromeliads sold as a potted plant. It is an epiphyte from the rainforests of tropical America and the Caribbean that forms a rosette of glossy, strap-shaped leaves around a central cup. The bright red, orange or pink head is made of bracts that stay coloured for two to four months; the plant then slowly dies and leaves pups that grow on.
Light
Bright IndirectWatering
WeeklyDifficulty
MediumPets
Not confirmedHeight indoors
30-60 cm
Growth
Slow
TemperatureUnconfirmed
16-27 °C
Not below 16 °C
HumidityUnconfirmed
50% - 70%
Likes humid air
Soil pHUnconfirmed
5.5-6.5
Slightly acidic soil
Native to
- Mexico
- Belize
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Nicaragua
- Costa Rica
- Panama
- Colombia
- Venezuela
- Guyana
- Suriname
- French Guiana
- Ecuador
- Peru
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Cuba
- Jamaica
- Haiti
- Dominican Republic
- Puerto Rico
- Trinidad & Tobago
- Anguilla
- Antigua & Barbuda
- Caribbean Netherlands
- St. Barthélemy
- Guadeloupe
- St. Kitts & Nevis
- St. Martin
- Montserrat
- Sint Maarten
- British Virgin Islands
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Barbados
- Dominica
- Grenada
- St. Lucia
- Martinique
- St. Vincent & Grenadines
Through the year
In the warm months, leave a shallow pool of water in the central cup and change it often so it stays fresh. Water the potting mix only after it has dried, and give less of both in winter.
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Spring
WeeklyPot up pups that have formed their own rosettes, cutting them away close to the parent.
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Summer
WeeklyKeep the cup topped up with fresh water and the air humid.
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Autumn
Every 2 weeksWater less and stop feeding as growth slows.
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Winter
Every 2 weeksKeep it above 16 °C at night, away from cold windows, and keep the mix on the dry side.
Feeding
Every 4 weeks in spring and summer. Liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength or weaker. Do not feed in winter.
Care tips
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Use an airy mix
Plant it in orchid or bromeliad mix; its roots mostly anchor the plant and rot in dense, wet soil.
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Flush the cup
Empty or rinse the central cup every few weeks so the water stays fresh and mosquitoes cannot breed in it.
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Raise the humidity
Dry indoor air is its main problem; a humidifier or a tray of wet pebbles helps.
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Keep it out of direct sun
Bright, filtered light is best; it also copes with lower light and office lighting.
Common problems
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Root and base rot
What you seeThe base of the rosette turns brown and soft and the plant wobbles in its pot.
What to doLet the potting mix dry between waterings, use a coarse orchid or bromeliad mix and a pot with good drainage.
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Scale and mealybugs
What you seeBrown bumps or white cottony clumps on the leaves, often near the base.
What to doWipe them off with a cloth or a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol and check again every week.
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Mother plant dying back
What you seeAfter the bracts fade, the main rosette yellows and browns over several months.
What to doThis is normal. Keep caring for it until the pups at its base have grown their own small rosettes, then pot them on.
Pets
Is bromeliad safe for cats and dogs?
Not confirmed. The ASPCA has no entry for Guzmania lingulata itself or for the genus Guzmania. It lists the variety G. lingulata var. minor (orange star) and another species, Guzmania musaica, as non-toxic to cats and dogs, and names no toxic compound.
Good to know
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The real flowers are small and white; the colour comes from the bracts around them.
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The genus is named after Anastasio Guzmán, an 18th-century Spanish naturalist, and lingulata means tongue-shaped, after the leaves.
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In the wild it grows on tree branches, not in soil, and it belongs to the same family as the pineapple.
