Bromeliad aechmea blumenavii

We had been invited to visit a tea plantation in the Eastern jungle province of Pastaza, Ecuador. We were dropped off a quarter of a mile short of the plantation and decided to walk the rest of the way. We did not mind as the flora was spectacular. As we were trekking up a muddy trail, one member in our party grabbed a vine to catch her balance as she was slipping. The only problem was it was not a vine! It was a Green Striped Vine Snake!  The snake did not appreciate being yanked on and gave her a series of bites as she, after realizing her error, started shaking it violently trying to get rid of it. It was partially wrapped around her hand but with a third shake she sent the snake flying off the trail and we quickly gathered around to calm her and assess the situation. Luckily no venom was injected and we bandaged her up and carried on towards the plantation. As we started onward we noticed a fantastic bromeliad colony growing up a tree trunk. The leaves were lime green and each leaf had a lovely purple patch of color at the blunt end. More impressive however, was the flowers which were composed of dozens of bright yellow flowers emanating from a lavender bract.  It was stunning!  It turns out to be a very easy plant to grow and blooms quite readily.   This plant is perfect for growing on a windowsill or outside. You can purchase this amazing plant in 4” pots $19.99 each Mature Plants!