Guzmania

Other than biking to and from work, I was mostly inside today. At lunchtime it was grey and cool-ish and this bright and brazen guy presented itself in the kitchen area at work.

Turns out this isn't plastic (I wasn't the only one at work to think we suddenly had a gaudy, fake plant in our midst!).

It is a Guzmania, (a type of Bromeliad (Bromeliaceae), which is a genus of epiphytes, the Guzmanias. (An epiphyte being an organism that grows upon or attaches to a living plant).

Bill grows these and brought this one in in all it's glory. I'm told they only flower once in their lives so it's a bit of an event. Eventually it will send out 'buds'. Bill has a collection of potted buds in his office and as soon as I organise a pot and a day I take my car, I'm going to become a proud Guzmania owner.

And here was me thinking it was plastic....

Without a true macro lens or tripod I haven't done it justice but there will be other days to blip again.

And thus ends today's biology lesson ;-)