Photographed in Rio de Janeiro..

Maybe Vriesea geniculata after blooming.?

Wow! The only ones I know that get that big are the Alcantarea genus.

That looks like the correct genus Melanie! Thanks! Yes, it was very big and impressive!

I saw one at a bromeliad show that was almost that tall. It went right up to the ceiling!

I was looking and it appears some people use Vriesea as the genus name while others use Alcantarea. I'm used to seeing it as Alcantarea but our plant database tends to use Vriesea. Just something to be aware of. Thanks for the acorn!

I think it could be Vriesea imperialis, because of its giant size, it seems to have different colour variations..
https://www.google.be/search?q...

Impressive Vriesea!

Alcantarea imperialis is a synonym of Vriesea imperialis ..

http://www.theplantlist.org/tp...

Pics from Brazilian sites ..

http://sites.unicentro.br/wp/m...

http://pro.casa.abril.com.br/g...

You have a photo of the leaves on ATP Myriam ..

That must be the one Janet! Really forgot I already had a pic of the Rubra version on the database!
I'm terrible in storing plant names in my memory, more so when they are non-familiar plant species!

It does look the same apart from the ruby colouring, but the flowering one appears to be a different plant to the one you put here before? The stem looks shorter, and the location looks different even though both have similar cobbles around the base, the one on ATP has water behind it.

I found that photo on google.

I found that photo on google.

Ah, I thought you had found it searching our database!
Different plants and different locations, yes! The Ruby one was photographed in the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro, while the one I posted here was in town.
True the stem on this one looks shorter than the other..but I think this varies? Could there be another one of these huge proportions?

I think the stem would lengthen with age Myriam, they do look to be the same species.

OK then, I'll mark this one as solved!