About Guzmania xanthobractea Gilmartin
Guzmania xanthobractea Gilmartin is a clustering bromeliad that can grow as either a terrestrial plant or an epiphyte. When flowering, the species reaches up to 1 meter (3 feet 3 inches) in height. It forms a spreading rosette of leaves; individual leaves are 80–100 mm (3.1–3.9 inches) long. The leaf sheaths are brown and elliptic, measuring up to 9 cm × 6 cm (3.5 inches × 2.4 inches). The leaf blades are ligulate with acuminate tips, and 30–50 mm (1.2–2.0 inches) wide. The scape is red, curved, and approximately 5 mm (0.20 inches) in diameter. It bears subfoliaceous, erect bracts that are densely imbricate. The inflorescence is loosely bipinnate, measuring around 40–50 cm (16–20 inches) by 15–20 cm (5.9–7.9 inches). The primary bracts are green and red, ovate, acuminate, and 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 inches) long. The spikes are ascending, subdensely ellipsoid, 10–14 cm (3.9–5.5 inches) long, 40–45 mm (1.6–1.8 inches) in diameter, and hold 9–15 flowers each. The floral bracts are yellow, thin, nerved, obovate, and 35–40 mm (1.4–1.6 inches) by 15 mm (0.59 inches) wide; they are imbricate toward the apex of the spike. The sepals are obovate, acute, glabrous, and measure 20–22 mm (0.79–0.87 inches) by 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 inches). The petals are approximately 5 cm (2.0 inches) long, with green lobes.
