Description:

Billbergia nutans - Queen’s tears is an epiphytic bromeliad with tough grasslike leaves arranged in a narrow funnel shaped rosette that stands about 20 in (50 cm) high. New rosettes are constantly being formed on short rhizomes around the original, so that the plant’s spread is actually indefinite. Each rosette has 12 to 15 strap shaped grayish green leaves that may be flushed with red or bronze. 

Leaf margins are usually finely toothed and the tip is pointed. In spring, the rosette gives birth to an arching flower stalk that bears a remarkable inflorescence that has been likened to a bird of paradise or the tears of royalty. 

The 6 in (15 cm) flower stalk is topped with several 3 in (7 cm) red-pink bracts from which emerge hanging clusters (panicles) of 2 in (5 cm) flowers that have pale green petals with dark blue margins and backward curved sepals that are rose-pink with greenish blue margins.






Scientific Classification:

Common Name:Queen's Tears, Friendship Plant
Scientific Name: Billbergia nutans H.Wendl.
Family:Bromeliaceae
Subfamily:Bromelioideae


Genus:Bilbergia
Synonyms:Billbergia nutans var. nutans, Billbergia linearifolia, Billbergia minuta, Billbergia schimperiana.
Temperature:USDA hardiness zones 10a to 11b: from 30 ° F (−1.1 ° C) to 50 ° F (+10 ° C)
Origin:Billbergia nutans is an epiphytic bromeliad native to Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.
Toxicity:??

How to Grow and Care: 

  • Billbergia nutans plant is often used as an ornamental plant and it is the easiest to grow and most adaptable bromeliads for indoor use. Given an adequate amount of warmth, they will usually grow continuously.

    Light: Bright light with at least three or four hours of direct sunlight every day is essential for good leaf colour and regular flowering.

    Temperature: Billbergia nutans grow well in normal room temperatures. Varieties of this species can also tolerate quite cold temperature – down to about 7°C (45°F). In the summer, this particular plant enjoys warm temperatures outdoors between 18 to 27°C (64-81°F).

  • These plants will thrive in moderate humidity, but still benefit from being kept in a spot where they can be misted often to increase humidity.



  • Water needs are easily achieved by filling the cup at the base of the leaves. The water that collects in the pot should be emptied out weekly to remove debris and the dead insects the stagnant water tends to lure into the cup.

  • Set the pot in a saucer of gravel filled partially with water to increase humidity and help provide a moist atmosphere. Make sure the roots are not submerged in the water or this might invite rot.

  • Some Bromeliads grow well as Air Plants, which are glued or nested onto logs, moss or other non-soil organic items.


  • Varieties:
    Two varieties are recognized: 
    • Billbergia nutans var. nutans 
    • Billbergia nutans var. schimperiana