Aechmea saxicola L.B.Sm.[as Aechmea saxicola L B Smith]

Observations: —Notes by Elton Leme in Bromelia 4(1): 40. March 1997
Aechmea saxicola L. B. Smith is rarely seen in cultivation because of its size (leaves over 1m long ending in a sharp point) which makes it awkward to handle in a home setting. This bromeliad is endemic to Espirito Santo state where it is found at low altitudes in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim and Serra municipalities. It is saxicolous, growing in the interior of the Atlantic forest, especially where light is more abundant such as near the forest edge. Although it is definitely not the most ornamental species of the subgenus Chevaliera, to which it belongs, it does have a certain charm with its attractive inflorescence, which is mostly green, including the petals.
Aechmea saxicola is easily confused with A. hostilis E. Pereira, also found in Espirito Santo, in the mountainous areas of Domingos Martins and Santa Leopoldina. However, among the few visual traits that distinguish the two species are the long floral scape in A. saxicola which raises the inflorescence well above the rosette and the green floral bracts, which are orangish in A. hostilis (a photo of this species appears in the book Bromeliads in the Brazilian wilderness by Leme & Marigo, p.52).

Edited from : Smith & Downs 1979. Bromelioideae (Bromeliaceae) in Flora Neotropica.