IX 
THE PINE-APPLE FAMILY 
i)LL plants of this family are of a peculiar stiff and 
rigid appearance. ‘The majority are air-plants, 
living as Epiphytes in dense tropical woods, where 
the exquisite beauty of their flowers is seldom seen 
by human eyes. Some have no roots, but exist 
through nutriment taken up directly from the air. In flower- 
ing the main plant generally dies, leaving several young ones 
around its base to continue the struggle for existence. The 
flowers appear in terminal spikes, and are protected by bracts, 
which are sometimes highly colored. Most of these plants are 
grown exclusively for the beauty of their foliage, which is often 
curiously spotted, mottled, or veined. No plants can be more 
indifferent to outward conditions ; moisture or drought, sun- 
shine or shadow, seem to be equally acceptable. In cultivation 
they require only little soil, composed of peat, moss, and char- 
coal, but plenty of water is beneficial. All can be propagated 
by means of seeds or offsets. Seeds should be sown in shallow 
pans in peaty soil, covered by glass, and kept moist and some- 
what shady in a temperature of about seventy degrees. The 
best kinds for general use are: 
Achmea fulgens. Leaves broadly strap-shaped, curving, 
parallel-veined. Flowers on erect scapes from the centre of the 
plant in a close terminal panicle. Flowers scarlet, with bluish 
segments. 
