Description
Billbergia x windii is a historic hybrid between Billbergia nutans and Billbergia decora.
The first reference to it appears in 1882 in 'La Belgique Horticole' describing the hybrid made by Monsieur Fr. Wiot with Billbergia nutans fertilized by pollen of Billbergia baraquiniana, synonymous with Billbergia decora. During the 1950s in the US it was incorrectly given the name Billbergia 'Theodore L. Mead' by James Giridlian and was also sold as Billbergia meadii.
Billbergia x windii is a highly attractive cultivar with the large reddish-pink bracts of Billbergia decora and the cold tolerance of Billbergia nutans.
The flowers have the same color and structure as Billbergia nutans, although the bracts are redder - less pink - and shorter.
The flowers usually fall below the level of the vase, so a suspended vase or as an epiphyte is ideal.
It is a very easy to grow bromeliad, Billbergia x windii is an ideal houseplant in the winter months and can be placed outdoors in a sheltered and shaded place during the summer, where it can be kept in its pot or grown epiphytically on the trunk of a tree.
 
Additional Information
Family: bromeliads
Synonyms: Billbergia nutans x Billbergia decora, Billbergia 'Theodore L.Mead', Billbergia meadii,
Origin: grow horticultural
Cultivation: Partial shade. Plants turn pinkish-red if exposed to too much sun. Keep moist in summer, although they only need a little water as they have a small root system.
Ideal as an epiphyte in summer and then indoors in winter
Resistance: Resistant to at least -5C. You will fight in a cold and icy place.
If it is outdoors, it needs a sheltered and suspended microclimate.
Best to bring indoors as a houseplant for the winter.