Bromelia is a genus of about 70 plant species widespread across Latin America and the West Indies.[1] It is the type genus of the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae, and its type species is B. karatas. Bromelia species are characterized by flowers with a deeply cleft calyx. The genus is named after the Swedish medical doctor and botanist (1639-1705).
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| Bromelia agavifolia Brongniart ex Houllet | French Guiana | |
| Bromelia alsodes H. St. John | from Sinaloa south to Nicaragua | |
| Bromelia alta L.B. Smith | Guyana and Suriname | |
| Bromelia antiacantha Bertoloni | Brazil, Uruguay | |
| Bromelia araujoi P.J.Braun, Esteves & Scharf | Maranhão | |
| Bromelia arenaria Ule | Brazil (Bahia) | |
| Bromelia arubaiensis P.L. Ibisch & R. Vásquez | Bolivia | |
| Bromelia auriculata L.B. Smith | Ceará | |
| Bromelia balansae Mez | Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay | |
| Bromelia binotii E. Morren ex Mez | Brazil (Espírito Santo) | |
| Bromelia braunii Leme & E. Esteves | Tocantins | |
| Bromelia charlesii P.J.Braun, Esteves & Scharf | Brazil (Bahia) | |
| Bromelia chrysantha Jacquin | Venezuela, Colombia, Trinidad & Tobago | |
| Bromelia dilatata Esteves, Hofacker & Scharf | Mato Grosso | |
| Bromelia eitenorum L.B. Smith | Maranhão | |
| Bromelia epiphytica L.B. Smith | Brazil (Amazonas) | |
| Bromelia estevesii Leme | Brazil (Piauí) | |
| Bromelia exigua Mez | Brazil (Goiás) | |
| Bromelia flemingii I. Ramírez & Carnevali | Aragua of Venezuela | |
| Bromelia fosteriana L.B. Smith | Suriname | |
| Bromelia fragilis L.B. Smith | Colombia | |
| Bromelia glaziovii Mez | Brazil (Minas Gerais and Goiás) | |
| Bromelia goeldiana L.B. Smith | Venezuela and Brazil | |
| Bromelia goyazensis Mez | Brazil (Goiás) | |
| Bromelia grandiflora Mez | Brazil | |
| Bromelia granvillei L.B. Smith & Gouda | French Guiana | |
| Bromelia gurkeniana E. Pereira & Moutinho | Brazil | |
| Bromelia hemisphaerica Lam. | from Guanajuato south to Panama | |
| Bromelia hieronymi Mez | Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina | |
| Bromelia horstii Rauh | Brazil (Mato Grosso) | |
| Bromelia humilis Jacquin | Venezuela, Trinidad & Tobago, Netherlands Antilles | |
| Bromelia ignaciana R. Vásquez & P.L. Ibisch | Bolivia | |
| Bromelia interior L.B. Smith | Brazil | |
| Bromelia irwinii L.B. Smith | Goiás | |
| Bromelia karatas Linnaeus | West Indies; Latin America from San Luis Potosí + Sinaloa south to Brazil | |
| Bromelia laciniosa Martius ex Schultes f. | Brazil and Argentina | |
| Bromelia lagopus Mez | Brazil | |
| Bromelia legrellae (E. Morren) Mez | Brazil (Pará) | |
| Bromelia lindevaldae Leme & E. Esteves | Brazil (Bahia) | |
| Bromelia macedoi L.B. Smith | Brazil (Goiás) | |
| Bromelia michaelii Esteves, Hofacker & Scharf | Brazil (Goiás) | |
| Bromelia minima Leme & E. Esteves | Brazil (Goiás) | |
| Bromelia morreniana (Regel) Mez | northern Brazil | |
| Bromelia nidus-puellae (André) André ex Mez | Colombia | |
| Bromelia oliveirae L.B. Smith | Brazil (Pará) | |
| Bromelia palmeri Mez | from Colima south to Oaxaca | |
| Bromelia pinguin Linnaeus | West Indies; from Mexico to Ecuador and Suriname; naturalized in Florida | |
| Bromelia poeppigii Mez | Peru | |
| Bromelia redoutei (Baker) L.B. Smith | Guatemala. | |
| Bromelia regnellii Mez | Brazil | |
| Bromelia reversacantha Mez | Brazil (Goiás) | |
| Bromelia rondoniana L.B. Smith | Rondônia | |
| Bromelia scarlatina (hortus ex Hérincq) E. Morren | Ecuador and Brazil | |
| Bromelia serra Grisebach | Brazil, French Guiana, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina | |
| Bromelia superba Mez | Jamaica | |
| Bromelia sylvicola S. Moore | Brazil (Mato Grosso) | |
| Bromelia tarapotina Ule | Peru | |
| Bromelia trianae Mez | Colombia | |
| Bromelia tubulosa L.B. Smith | Venezuela and Brazil | |
| Bromelia unaensis Leme & Scharf | Brazil (Bahia) | |
| Bromelia urbaniana (Mez) L.B.Sm. | Paraguay and Argentina | |
| Bromelia villosa Mez | Bolivia and Brazil | |
The resistant fiber obtained from B. serra and B. hieronymi, both known as chaguar, is an essential component of the economy of the Wichí tribe in the semi-arid Gran Chaco region of Argentina. An 1841 publication described the fiber of silk grass (Bromelia karata) as "equal in durability to our best bowstrings."[2]