Hohenbergia ferruginea Carrière    

plant very robust, vigorous, on the face of it looks in general like vriesea glazioweana. leaves about 70–80 cm long, 10–12 wide, green, irregularly spotted and a somber green, forming more or less dark, often brown spots, suddenly and briefly attenuate at the top, which is often revolute; central stem (butcher - peduncle) rising a little above the leaves, much branched, and its branches are covered with a sort of pulverulent covering of a ferruginous grey which gives the plant a somber appearance; this species (fig; 104), which probably has never flowered in france, and whose flowering occurred in the greenhouses of the senate, in luxembourg, is found in a few collections the names of nidularium fragrans or gusmannia maculata; it is not pretty with its compact very-short spikelets which are a kind of glomeruli. flowers very small, pinkish-lilac, surmounted by stamens placed between three bracts, foliaceous, ovate, shortly spreading, forming an epicalyx or involucre, having a fine smell, agreeable, but quite particular; many fruits, ovoid, fleshy, succulent, whitish or lilac purple, reminds one of those of the aechmea; the stem and flowers are the only exception, otherwise it is similar in its foliage and its general appearance; in this respect, it merits a place in all amateur collections; the only flaw that could perhaps be found is that it takes a bit too much space; indeed, the plant of which we speak, although in a very small pot, was not less than 1.5 m in width; its height, much less, did not reach 1 m e.a; carriere.