What are bromeliads: Difference between revisions

Bromeliads are to be found exclusively in the New World, which means North and South America.  Solely the species Pitcairnia Feliciana also exists in the western Africa. The distribution area of Bromeliads ranges from the South of the USA over Central America far down to Argentina and Chile. They are found in nearly every living environment, including all deserts of the Western Hemisphere, even inclusive of the desert most arid in the world, the Atacama. Wether moist and hot lowland rainforests, dry cactus and thorn forests, or moist and could rain- and cloud forest of the mountains, even on the table mounts of Venezuela (Tepuis) and in the Páramos of the Andes, more than 4000m high, are to be found Bromeliads.

About half of the known Bromeliad species lives epiphytic, meaning they grow on other plants, but without feeding on them. They are no parasites, as they are often erroneously called by locals and – alas - are treated likewise. However Bromeliads can also be found living on rocks (litophytic) or on the ground (terrestrial). As their habitats dry out severely sometimes some of them started building a funnel or a cistern with the base of their leafs, to catch and keep water. The biggest species can this way store up several liters of water, which assists them to compensate rather long dry periods.