Queen's Tears (Billbergia nutans)

General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit:	Herb/Forb
Life cycle:	Perennial
Sun Requirements:	Full Sun to Partial Shade Partial or Dappled Shade
Minimum cold hardiness:	Zone 8a -12.2 °C (10 °F) to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
Maximum recommended zone:	Zone 11
Plant Height:	20 inches (50cm)
Leaves:	Evergreen
Fruiting Time:	Winter
Flowers:	Showy
Flower Color:	Pink
Flower Time:	Winter
Suitable Locations:	Houseplant
Uses:	Groundcover
Resistances:	Humidity tolerant
Propagation: Other methods:	Offsets
Containers:	Needs excellent drainage in pots
Miscellaneous:	Epiphytic

Common names

Queen's Tears
Bromeliad
Friendship Plant
Hardy Queen's Tears
Hardy Friendship Plant

Botanical names

Accepted: Billbergia nutans
Synonym: Billbergia nutans var. schimperiana

Photo Gallery

Location: Tampa Bay, Florida
Date: November
Queen's Tears (Billbergia nutans)

Uploaded by BellaKelly

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: My garden near Lincoln UK
Date: 2008-06-15
It grew well and survived in a cold greenhouse until winter 2010/

Uploaded by JRsbugs

Location: Cordoba, Argentina
Date: 2015-08-15

Uploaded by Huertayjardineria

Location: Winter Springs, FL zone 9b
Date: 2022-11-11
bromeiliad Nutans Queen's Tears

Uploaded by sunkissed

Location: Portugal
Date: 2019-01-20
Billbergia nutans (Queen's tears)

Uploaded by Hemde

Location: Houston, TX
Date: February 2013

Uploaded by Carter

Location: Tampa Bay, Florida
Date: 11-12-2022
The Autumn bloom is the best!

Uploaded by BellaKelly

Location: Portugal
Date: 2019-03-07
A big clump of billbergia nutans on a palm tree in my garden...

Uploaded by Hemde

Location: Portugal
Date: 2019-01-17
Billbergia nutans (Queen's tears)

Uploaded by Hemde

Location: Kyle, TX
Date: 2022-02-19
Really amazing colors

Uploaded by christinereid54

Location: Botanical Gardens of the State of Georgia...Athens, Ga
Date: 2018-12-02
Queen's Tears (Billbergia nutans) 006

Uploaded by dawiz1753

Uploaded by Revhort

Uploaded by Carter

Uploaded by Hemde

Location: Hortus Camera Lapidea
Date: 2023-01-25
Label: Billbergia nutans var. schimperiana

Uploaded by RuuddeBlock

Uploaded by Xeramtheum

Location: In my garden, Falls Church, VA
Date: 2016-08-24

Uploaded by Frenchy21

Uploaded by Corber

Uploaded by pinkiris

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2019-01-25
Bract is pink, bloom is green and blue, stamen is yellow

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2016-02-07

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by Henhouse

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: Hortus Camera Lapidea
Date: 2023-01-22
Label: Billbergia nutans var. schimperiana

Uploaded by RuuddeBlock

Uploaded by RuuddeBlock

Photo Courtesy of Secret Garden Growers.

Uploaded by Joy

Location: Cordoba, Argentina
Date: 2023-08-04

Uploaded by Huertayjardineria

Location: Tampa Bay, Florida
Date: November
These broms grow in the boots of a cabbage palm

Uploaded by BellaKelly

Uploaded by purpleinopp

Location: In my garden, Falls Church, VA
Date: 2017-06-24

Uploaded by Frenchy21

Uploaded by Corber

Date: 2022-11-30
Young Billbergia nutans starting to bloom

Uploaded by Corber

Location: My Property Sunset Zone 23 Fallbrook California
Date: 2012-12-21

Uploaded by wcgypsy

Location: Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, USA
Date: 2018-12-09
A Christmas tree made mostly of bromeliads

Uploaded by csandt

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Uploaded by succulentlife

Location: My windowsill
Date: 2017-01-19

Uploaded by RuuddeBlock

Uploaded by RuuddeBlock

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by purpleinopp

Location: Sugar Mill Gardens, Port Orange, Florida
Date: 2013-02-01

Uploaded by plantladylin

Uploaded by Huertayjardineria

Location: Barcelona, Spain |April, 2023 (uploaded. This image is much older)
Date: 2023-04-03

Uploaded by sedumzz

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2019-01-13

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by Lalambchop1

Uploaded by Lalambchop1

Location: Saint Helena Island, SC
Date: 2014-12-01

Uploaded by ardesia

Uploaded by purpleinopp

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by LAGardengirl

Location: San Clemente
Date: 2020-01-27
Such colors!

Uploaded by succulentlife

Location: Emerson, AR
Date: 2017-10-09
Queen's Tears - Bilbergia nutans

Uploaded by Kathy547

Uploaded by RuuddeBlock

Uploaded by purpleinopp

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by Bubbles

Location: Plano, TX
These seedlings took 18 days to germinate.

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: Barcelona, Spain |April, 2023 (uploaded. This image is much older)
Date: 2023-04-03
Casa Vincens, one of my favorites of Gaudi's works

Uploaded by sedumzz

Uploaded by wcgypsy

Date: 2017-01-19
The coloring of this bloom is amazing.

Uploaded by Lalambchop1

Uploaded by Lalambchop1

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2015-03-23
Blooms over winter in basement.

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by RuuddeBlock

Uploaded by purpleinopp

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2013-03-16

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Fountain, Florida
Date: 2012-03-29

Uploaded by gingin

Uploaded by gingin

Uploaded by purpleinopp

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2013-03-30

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by purpleinopp

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2015-03-03

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2015-12-19

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by piksihk

Location: Fountain, Florida
Date: 2012-03-14

Uploaded by gingin

Uploaded by gingin

Location: Sugar Mill Gardens, Port Orange, Florida
Date: 2012-08-22

Uploaded by plantladylin

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2014-04-10
over wintered in basement under fluorescent lights

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Middle Tennessee
Date: 2013-08-27

Uploaded by SongofJoy

Uploaded by SongofJoy

Uploaded by Lalambchop1

Uploaded by purpleinopp

Uploaded by Lalambchop1

Location: Middle Tennessee
Date: 11/29/2010
a young B. nutans offset

Uploaded by SongofJoy

Location: my garden side front
Date: 2015-04-02

Uploaded by piksihk

Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2014-02-26
New offset

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2014-12-27

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2012-02-26

Uploaded by jmorth

This plant is tagged in:

Comments:

Posted by jmorth (central Illinois) on Mar 17, 2013 8:37 PM concerning plant:

Pendulous flower clusters on long stems can bloom any time of year.
To force flowering - enclose plant in a plastic bag with a ripe apple (ethylene gas stimulates flowering process) for 7 to 10 days. Will flower in 1 to 2 months.

Reply to this comment
Posted by sallyg (central Maryland - Zone 7b) on Sep 30, 2019 7:19 AM concerning plant:

I have been growing and dividing potted specimens for several years now, until now I have five medium-large pots of it. I keep them on my deck in summer. Tree frogs hide in the pools created by the leaf rosettes. Each new rosette will bloom once, then create two side shoots, and decline. So you do want to periodically cut out the older leaves and rosettes, or divide. Tough roots, don't count on pulling by hand, I think I had to saw them apart, I used an old electric knife blade. But the plant never blinked an eye. I keep them inside over winter here in zone 7.

Reply to this comment

Plant Events from our members
piksihk	On October 11, 2016	Plant Ended (Removed, Died, Discarded, etc)
piksihk	On March 19, 2015	Bloomed
jmorth	On February 3, 2016	Bloomed Blooming in 2 containers, 1 under fluorescents, the other is under a sodium arc lamp, in cool basement. Containers taken outside for summers. Rec'd in a trade from Calif. many years ago.
jmorth	On March 3, 2015	Miscellaneous Event Flower buds forming well in 60Â° under fluorescents in basement.
MySecretIslandGarden	On May 15, 2023	Transplanted Under arecas on ne side of patio
MySecretIslandGarden	On March 12, 2023	Obtained plant 2GW

» Post your own event for this plant

« Add a new plant to the database

« The Plants Database Front Page

Billbergia Queen's Tears (Billbergia nutans)

Billbergia
Queen's Tears (Billbergia nutans)