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Is this some kind of Bromeliad?

5 years ago

I saw this plant at the Fort Lauderdale Riverwalk, they have some exotic palms but this one plant I am not sure what it is.


It has a thick trunk, about five to six inches in diameter, that is laying sideway on the ground, probably hard to see from the picture.


Any idea what kind of plant this is?




Comments (22)

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Maybe a yucca - or dracaena?


  • 5 years ago

    Looks like it has the water collecting leaf shape typical of many bromeliads.

  • 5 years ago

    Wish you had a better shot of the trunk...

  • 5 years ago

    Might be Alcantarea odorata

  • 5 years ago

    It's certainly looks like a bromeliad and I'd agree with Alcantarea odorata. Most Alcantareas are fairly large plants.

  • 5 years ago

    I checked on plant id and they said this

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I don't see the silver, blue color in Yucca gloriosa var. tricitis. The only yucca that looks close to me is Yucca 'Silver Anniversary'. It's a filamentosa x pallida. My app suggest Astelia 'Silver Shadow', but I see no still attached bottom leaves in photos of it.

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    If you look carefully, you can see the 'trunk' behind the lower browned leaves in the 2nd photo. Are there bromeliads that have that type of 'trunk'?

    The curving leaves may be a culture issue...

    https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/foliage/yucca/droopy-yucca-plants.htm

  • 5 years ago

    Astelia don't have trunks, so a Yucca with droopy leaves I guess. What else could it be? I doubt it's Y. gloriosa var. tricitis, but still a Yucca.

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Why yes, there are bromeliads that form trunks!

    Alcantarea odorata is one.

    Its not a Yucca.

  • 5 years ago

    Whether this one is an actual tank bromeliad or not it has the leaf shape of those and not these other kinds of plants.

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I second or third Alcantarea odorata for sure now. Nessdizzle, is plant ID an app or a group of people? My Google Lens kept showing me Alcantarea odorata, but I was refusing to believe it LOL. It learns from all my searches, so it has much stored information.

  • 5 years ago

    It’s an app and it’s typically spot on...thing is tho, it’s not picking up the ‘trunk’ that you’re saying is there so it’s likely wrong...it also said pineapple but I knew it wasn’t that so I zoomed in on the plant and tried again...that’s when I got the yucca...I suggest you download the app and take a pic in the app and it will better ID the plant. The app is called “Picture this”

  • 5 years ago

    I would never trust an app 100%. Alcantera odorata is a great suggestion. No way is that a Yucca. Plus it's growing in a bed of, guess what?, other bromeliads!

  • 5 years ago

    I would never trust an app 100% either, but I'm open to their suggestions, and they sometimes are on the right track. I downloaded 'picture this' and once I realized you have to pay for it, I immediately uninstalled it. Well it was wrong in this instance, and my google lens was correct, but GL also gave me other options along with the correct one. These apps can be fun to try to fool, which isn't difficult, but most want you to pay. I never gave much thought as to how bromeliad leaves are arranged until this post. Alcantarea odorata it is, as first suggested by Iochroma.

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I keep coming back and looking carefully, and now I notice the curved base of the leaves - not something I've ever seen on a yucca. I think the bromeliad ID is correct - but wow! How old must it be to have a 'trunk' that large?

    P.S. Just found this from Port St. Lucie Botanical Garden:

    https://www.pslbg.org/odorata.html

    And another from USF:

    https://etc.usf.edu/clippix/picture/bromeliad-alcantarea-odorata.html

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Interesting challenge. It does have a definite bromeliad vibe - something about the way the leaf bases are arranged (and like carol says, the way they curve) but I don't know the term for it.

    FWIW, there's no way in hell an Astelia would grow in Florida, unless south Florida unexpected sprouts a 5000' mountain ;-).

  • 5 years ago

    Since there seems to be some interest, I went to the Riverwalk this weekend and took more pictures this weekend. This time I took a picture of the trunk, but it's hidden behind the leaves so this is the best shot I can get,



    Here are some additional pictures from different angles.








    One question, are bromeliad leaves stiff and thorny at the ends? These leaves are thin, not stiff, the end of the leaves, while pointed, will yield when you push them.

  • 5 years ago

    There are many different kinds of Bromeliad. Most do have stiffer leaves than Alcantarea odorata.



    this is a Bromeliad also, with thick fleshy leaves with spikes.

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    And like the plant asked about it has "tanks" formed by the leaf bases which serve as collection points for water. This feature is specific to epiphytic bromeliads.

    Miami Cuse thanked Embothrium
  • 5 years ago

    Couldn't be more plain that its an Alcantarea. So tropical that even in soucal's best climates it's no sure thing and a slow grower.

    Miami Cuse thanked stanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area