Ornatec InternationalSpecies reference sheet ยท ornatecinternational.com
Guzmania lingulata
Scarlet Star
Guzmania lingulata is the bromeliad that made the family a fixture of interior planting. A tidy rosette of glossy strap-shaped leaves holds water at its centre, and from that centre rises a head of scarlet bracts that stays coloured for two to four months.
Each rosette flowers once and then produces offsets around its base, so a planted mass renews itself on a rolling cycle rather than going over all at once.
Specifications
- Height0.3 to 0.5 metres
- Width0.3 to 0.5 metres
- Native toCentral and South America and the West Indies
- FoliageGlossy, strap-shaped, arching leaves forming a water-holding rosette; evergreen
- Growth rateModerate
Conditions
- SoilRequires very free-draining, open, bark-based media and will not tolerate heavy wet soil
- LightPartial shade to bright indirect light; direct sun bleaches the leaves
- WaterModerate; keep the central cup filled with clean water
- ClimateThrives in humid tropical conditions and in conditioned interiors
Additional Features
- FlowersSmall white flowers held within a long-lasting head of scarlet bracts
- UsesInterior landscaping, shaded tropical beds, planters, green walls and epiphytic mounting
- SpacingPlant 6 to 9 per square metre for a closed mass
- Low MaintenanceRemove spent rosettes once their offsets have rooted; no feeding is required
- Pest ResistanceGenerally trouble-free, though scale appears in dry interior air
- Seasonal AppealBract colour holds for two to four months per rosette, rotating across a planted mass
The Scarlet Star gives months of colour at ground level in shade, indoors or under canopy, with almost no maintenance behind it.
Availability by project review. Sizes, quantities, origin and export readiness are confirmed after your plant schedule is reviewed against destination, timing and quarantine requirements. MEWA certified for supply into Saudi Arabia; Australian Export Registered Establishment.
Enquiries: sales@ornatecinternational.com
310 Donkin Rd, Utchee Creek QLD 4871, Australia
Prepared 08 September 2026