Vriesea splendens, or flaming sword, is a species of flowering plant in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. Native to Trinidad, eastern Venezuela and the GuianasKew World Checklist of Selected Plant FamiliesHokche, O., Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (eds.) (2008). Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Venezuela: 1-859. Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela.Funk, V. A., P. E. Berry, S. Alexander, T. H. Hollowell & C. L. Kelloff. 2007. Checklist of the Plants of the Guiana Shield (Venezuela: Amazonas, Bolivar, Delta Amacuro; Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana). Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 55: 1–584Smith, L.B. & R. J. Downs. 1977. Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae), Part II. Flora Neotropica, Monograph 14(2): 663–1492 these plants were introduced to Europe in 1840. This species of Vriesea features smooth-margined foliage with brown bands growing in a rosette, usually producing a bright red inflorescence in a flattened spike. It is a recipient of the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
It is sometimes considered a synonym of Lutheria splendens.
The Bromeliad Cultivar Register lists a number of cultivars of V. splendens.
References
External links FCBS Vriesea link