This plant has been there 5 years that I know of. It has never done this however. I was going to get rid of it...not so sure now. That is not paint on the plant, it turned that neon orangish pink before the flower came on. I have no idea what it is. I am hoping that showing you a few pictures might help identify it. It is prickly. Here is pic number 1
Here is a close up of the bloom. It is beautiful...though really odd. I did not smell it from afar...but it is so prickly I was not stepping in for a closer smell.
I did not think it a bromeliad...it is a good 3 feet tall and wide...maybe taller. I will put it there in that chance it might be. I have no idea what it is. Thanks
It's definitely a bromeliad, some of them can get pretty good sized. I don't know which one, but it's definitely a bromeliad.
i agree that its a bromeliad
Bromelia balansae is your plant.
Oh thank you...it got fruit after the flowers. Are they edible? Just curious. I do love knowing what plants I have.
I've not heard of this being edible; In the book Edible Leaves of the Tropics, Bromelia pinguin is listed as edible.
I'll ask Harry Luther this weekend; he's the world's expert on bromeliads.
bromeliad family - a puya
Definitely Bromelia balanase, otherwise known as "Heart of Fire". I have a huge stand of these, many years old. They have used them as "living fences" in Australia and also at the prison at Guantanamo Bay. The spines on the leaves are recurved and point both ways so they get you coming and going. They are viscous if you get caught in them. These are the ONLY plants on my place that the wild pigs leave utterly alone.
