This Brazilian bromeliad forms a vase shape, narrow at the bottom and flaring out at the ends. The leaves are green with reddish-brown irregular stripes. Small blue flowers are produced just above water level in the cup at the center of the plant. Grow in full to partial sun, in very well-drained soil or bark chips and replenish the water in the cup every couple of days. Offsets are produced below the vase formed by the leaves, and will, over time, create a mass display. In the tropics, an entire ecosystem of aquatic insects, invertebrates, amphibians, and their predators inhabit the water-filled cup at the center of each plant.