Without a photo it's impossible to say for sure what you have but I would guess that it is either a Guzmania or a Vriesea; those are ones that have some resemblance to Zygo leaves. Not much, but some.

If you have terrestrial orchid mix that would be great for them, otherwise just leave in the present medium but keep moist.

Hey Joe, don't sweat the small stuff, and you're no idiot. Some folks have no choice BUT to shop at the box stores. I prefer to patronize real nurseries where real questions are answered by people who have a background in horticulture and not someone skilled in bathroom fixtures. I have seen cactus at these stores with labels proclaiming them to be 'indoor tropical plant, low light' and once they were selling the palm Areca catechu (highly tropical, no chance in CA) as an 'office plant, great for a corner'. Yeah, if your office is in Malaysia!

Unfortunately for my 'face' I had spoken strongly against buying plants at HD (coffee at book stores, etc). Hoist on my own petard indeed! I went to a nursery this pm and looked at Guzmania - I think that's what it is, but it seems to have been a very reasonable price. Joe

Joe, we're all in that boat. Just today while at our HD I spotted a big Tillandsia xerographica for $20. Do you think I passed on it? Not a chance! Supporting Mom and Pop nurseries is best when chance permits but sometimes that 1 in a 1,000,000,000 plant is there and and it's too good to pass up.

Hmmm... the way I read your posting was that the "asstd. bromeliads" sticker was underneath the price sticker when it came off, leading me to think that somebody just reused an old pot for a different plant, but if it was in a peaty mix it probably wasn't an orchid... Hard to say without a photo.

As regards the Big Box vs. Mom & Pop issue, I don't know how it is where you live, but here HD buys plants from a number of different local nurseries, some of which may be very worthy of patronage. Given a choice, I'd rather go to the source (being a Mom & Pop operation ourselves), but it's not necessarily an evil thing to buy from the Boxes.

No, I agree it's not necessarily an evil thing to buy from the boxes. Here in Winnipeg the options are few. There is a greenhouse that grows and sells (mostly) Phalaenopsis, at fairly high prices. The local greenhouses get their stuff from British Columbia, which is already 3000 miles away. The price sticker was the reduced price. I don't know where HD gets its stuff - possibly the same brokers in British Columbia, or a broker in Ontario. When it is full price, though, it is not cheaper than the greenhouse I mentioned - nothing in good condition here is as reasonable as what is on sale at the Manitoba Orchid Show. But now I've got a bromeliad, and I'm looking forward to learning from it. Joe

Well, Joe, you may not be an idiot but I have to ask-- was this thing blooming when you bought it? I can see how, to the unititiated, a Guzmania or Vriesesa without a bloom could be confused with a Zygopetalum or Miltonia, but with a flower.... The fact that you know what a Zygopetalum is makes me think you have at least some familiarity with what the flowers look like, and I can't imagine HD trying to sell a Guz. or Vr. without a bloom, but you say they were marked down, so if the old inflorescence had been removed already I'll cut you some slack. If that is the case and the thing is bloomed out already, you're not going to see any more growth on the main plant, but you should see some pups forming around the base, or in amongst the lower leaves. If it did have a flower, what did it look like?

I normally don't like to buy plants at places like HD because in my experience they are often already dead but when I saw a Tillandsia Cynea (spelling?) I couldn't help myself. It was so unusual (I am new to bromelaids) and it was only $4. It has done very well for me. It now has two little baby's growing well and the large Pink Stem has faded so I removed it. I read that these plants are hard to kill so I guess if you are going to get something at HD its better to get something like this as opposed to an Orchid which is much fussier.

Hi LisaCLV - no bloom. But I should have realized that the remains of the flower 'spike' were no orchid 'spike'. So cut me some slack, but not a lot! Joe