return to: checklist; keys; family Bromeliaceae
Terrestrial bromeliad; leaves elongate, coarse, with sharp teeth along the margins; inflorescence sessile, essentially at ground level.
Additional images:
The leaves yield a fine-textured fiber. Dense plantings serve as a barrier hedge.
Numerous medicinal properties have been recorded (Morton 1981): juice from fresh fruits to treat scurvy and diabetes; boiled fruits plus sugar as a diuretic; boiled mashed seeds with sugar to expel internal parasites; juice from leaves as febrifuge and vermifuge.