Esther's photos with the keyword: Bromeliaceae

Cajas National Park, Ecuador. The pops of red are the bromeliads in the treetops. AIMG 0213

A bromeliad has attached itself to a tree where it grows towards the light in Cano Negro National Wildlife Reserve in Costa Rica AxMG_2523

This bromeliad had adapted to living in a rainforest by trapping water and decaying plant material at the base of its leaves. It is an epiphytic plant that grows in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. Its root system is minimal and serves primarliy to hold it to its base, which is frequently a branch, a tree or in this case, a hanging vine. The light shining through the trees seemed ordinary in the viewfinder, but created extraordinary bokeh. AxMG_1666

Bromeliad at Sarapiqui AxMG_1677

Bromeliads cover a coconut palm tree at the Sarapiqui Rainforest Lodge. Epiphytic species, such as those int he photograph can be found growing on other plants or anything in which their roots can get a foothold to hang on. Their ability to obtainnutrition and moisture from the atmosphere has earned these species of bromeliads the name, "Air Plants". The leaves are in a spiral arrangement known as a "rosette." The baseof the leaves in the rosette overlaps to form a water reservoir. This reservoir collects leaf detris and insects which nourish the plant. AxMG_1720