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I received this plant from my work. It had been sitting in the reception area, under fluorescent lights, and doing well. They were throwing it out. It is 18" tall.
Can anyone identify this plant?
That is a Bromiliad--very often seen in Houseplant departments. This version is often called the "Urn Plant".
The bloom it has now will last quite a while and then the small "bloom bumps" among the spikes will start looking a bit bluish and "tired". Allow the spike to almost wither and then go down as far as you can and cut it off near the base--inside the "urn". .
As far as care--water the root ball sparingly, but always make sure there is a little bit of water in the "vase" of the plant. It is best to use un-chlorinated water for this--like bottled water or distilled water--or, best yet--rain water.
Now--This whole plant will NEVER bloom again, but you can enjoy it for a couple of more years as it is a striking plant all on it's own. What you will see, in due time, is little new baby Bromiliads emerging from the very base of this plant. They are called "pups".
They will slowly grow bigger and, with time, may become the same size as the Mother plant. Eventually, though, the Mother plant will start declining. Like--she has done her "thing"...Now you have a couple of options:
1. Cut away the Mother plant at the base and allow the "pups" to continue growing to maturity in a clump, or...
2. Carefully separate the "pups" from the base of the mother plant, making sure you get all the roots that have formed on them as it grew, and repot each separately in it's own pot. You may need to have a sharp knife to do this, but first, dig down near the base of the old plant until you see exactly where it is attached and then do the "surgery". If the old plant is already so-so, just dump it out of its pot and shake all the soil off. This will make everything more clear to see WHERE to cut and WHERE to separate the new plants from the old.
Once the now grown off-shoots seem to be of full size, you will have to "trick them" into blooming since they are in your house and NOT somewhere in the Tropics. So, here is what you do:
Put the whole plant, pot and all, in a large, clear plastic bag with a couple of ripe apples and close it up. Keep it in there for 4-5 days--at least. The Ethylene gas produced by the apples (which is a ripening/aging agent in plants) will --hopefully--initiate a bud to form in the "vase" of the new plant. Take the plant out of the bag and put it in indirect light and continue it's usual care. If all went well, you should see a new bloom bud forming--sooner or later. Then all this repeats itself...
As you can see--you will have this plant for a long, long time.
