Billbergia nutans-Queen’s Tears on 8-14-13, #174-2.
Queen’s Tears, Angel’s Tears, etc.
Billbergia nutans
bil-BERG-a NUT-ans
Synonyms of Billbergera nutans (8) (Updated on 12-6-23 from Plants of the World Online): Billbergia amandae W.Weber, Billbergia linearifolia Baker, Billbergia minuta Mez, Billbergia nutans f. rupestris Hassl., Billbergia nutans var. schimperiana (Wittm. ex Baker) Mez, Billbergia nutans var. striata Reitz, Billbergia schimperiana Wittm. ex Baker
Billbergia nutans H.Wendl. ex Regel is the accepted scientific name for this species of Bromeliad. It was first described by Hermann Wendland and ex-author Eduard August von Regel in Garten Flora in 1869.
The genus, Billbergia Thunb., was named and described by Carl Peter Thunberg in Plantarum Brasiliensium in 1821.
As of 12-6-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists 62 accepted species in the genus Billbergia. It is a member of the plant family Bromeliaceae with 76 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.
THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.
Billbergia nutans on 9-24-12, #119-8.
My Billbergia nutans was given to me by a good friend and fellow plant collector, Walley Morse, from Greenville, Mississippi in the fall of 2011 or the spring of 2012. He brought it to me in this neat old pot (which I still have) but it soon outgrew it.
Billbergia nutans on 2-17-13, #139-16.
The above photo shows the Billbergia nutans in its new pot and in the east sunroom at the mansion for the winter. If we had nice days, I would move the plants to the front porch and then back inside in the evening if it was going to be too cold.
<<<<2013 IN MISSOURI>>>>
Billbergia nutans on 6-1-13, #151-23.
I sold the mansion in Mississippi to a group who remodeled the mansion and turned it into a nice bed and breakfast (The Thompson House Bed and Breakfast). Dad asked me to move back to the family farm in mid-Missouri, so I did. I left Mississippi and moved back in February 2013, I gave up hundreds of plants but took most of the succulents, Alocasia and some of my other favorites, including the Billbergia nutans. Amazingly, they survived an 8-9 hour trip in 30-degree temperatures in the back of a trailer. When temps started warming up in the spring, I had to figure out where to put the plants. I put this plant along the wall between the back porch and the basement steps where it received morning sun.
Billbergia nutans on 7-23-13, #164-10.
I didn’t like it in the back of the house, so in July I moved it to the front porch. I noticed it had its first bud…
Billbergia nutans is native to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay at elevations between 2,300-3,000 feet. They grow in trees as an epiphytic plant and also on the forest floor.
Billbergia nutans bud on 7-23-13, #164-12.
This was very exciting because it was a first for me. My first Bromeliad and its first flower. The bud was coming right out of the rosette. As I started looking more closely, there were several buds, not just one!
Billbergia nutans on 8-5-13, #170-1.
It makes me wonder what the person who discovered this plant in the rainforest thought when he found this plant. His jaw must have dropped like mine did when it started flowering. Definitely one of my highlights in 2013…
Billbergia nutans on 8-8-13, #171-7.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Bromeliaceae
Origin: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay
Zones: USDA Zones 10-11 (30-40° F)
Size: Around 24” tall
Light: Sun to part shade
Soil: Average, well-drained soil
Water: Average.
Flowers: Any time of the year
Propagation: Division
Uses: Great as a potted plant and ground cover.
Billbergia nutans flower on 8-8-13, #171-8.
The flowers of the Billbergia nutans always remind me of a Hermit Crab sticking his legs and head out of a shell it has taken over.
Billbergia nutans on 8-11-13, #173-2.
The genus Billbergia is named after Gustaf (Gustav) Johan Billberg. He was an attorney, but also a self-trained botanist, zoologist, and anatomist. He also wrote the Flora of Sweden. The species name means “nodding” after the flowers. “Queen’s Tears” is one common name, but it is also called “Friendship Plant” because it readily offsets allowing it to be passed along to others.
Billbergia nutans on 8-23-13, #178-29.
Information online says you can “force” Bromeliads to flower. The Wikipedia says you can add a little Epsom salt to their water and they will flower within the next 1-2 months. From my experience, the Billbergia nutans doesn’t need any help as it flowers periodically throughout the year anyway. It even flowers in the basement during the winter, with not much light at all and 65-degree temperatures.
<<<<2014>>>>
Billbergia nutans on 6-1-14, #228-23.
I repotted the Billbergia nutans in the spring of 2014 but needed it again in 2015. I have actually taken it out of the pot several times but I always put it back in. You would not believe how packed the roots are now, even though information online says they have few roots. Before when I repotted it, I just transferred it to a larger pot. It is in a 13” diameter x 11” tall pot already. I do have a larger pot available, but not that much bigger. If I put in a larger pot, the next thing you know it will need repotting again. Several people want one of these plants, so I guess I will have to just do it… So, dividing and repotting the Billbergia nutans will be one of my top priorities in 2018…
<<<<2015>>>>
Billbergia nutans on 7-12-15, #271-5.
I decided not to put the Billbergia nutans on the front porch in 2015. Most of my potted plants are behind one of our sheds under an old Chinese Elm so I sound a spot in the same area for the Billbergia. Where I had it on the front porch gave it shade until in the afternoon then it received a few hours of intense sun. I thought it was a bit much sometimes, but this “rainforest plant” soaked it all in like it was a cactus. Information online says they do well in full sun to part shade, which has proved to be true. No matter where you put it, it does well, from full sun to part shade to a basement with very little light over the winter.
<<<<2016>>>>
Billbergia nutans on 7-19-16, #274-18.
Information online also says you should fertilize your Bromeliad during the spring and summer with a diluted, balanced liquid fertilizer… Mine has been in this pot since the spring of 2014 with no added fertilizer. When I removed the plant from the pot in 2015 and 2016, thinking about dividing it, there was hardly any soil left. I wonder where it went? I experienced the same thing with my Parlor Palms once. There was only an inch or so of soil on the top and none left in the pot. Like the roots ate the dirt…
<<<<2017>>>>
Billbergia nutans on 6-24-17, #349-14.
There are many amazing things about the Billbergia nutans. One is that for an epiphytic bromeliad, it is very drought tolerant. I water the pot the same time I water the other potted plants. I had other distractions in 2014 and didn’t water the plants at all. It survived and so did the Alocasia.
Billbergia nutans on 7-30-17, #362-13.
I am running out of words…
Billbergia nutans on 7-30-17, #362-14.
Information online says Billbergia nutans can survive periods of neglect. Well, I know that to be true… Being an epiphytic plant, they get most of their nutrients and moisture from the air.
Billbergia nutans on 8-7-17, #365-6.
When you water your Bromeliads, you should not only water the soil, you also need to water the vases of the plant. I just run the wand over the top of the plant and into the pot… Which has no soil left. I am laughing again.
Billbergia nutans on 10-16-17, #384-3.
I bring it in the house when it starts getting cooler but I could have easily left it outside longer. Believe it or not, it has wintered here in the basement since I got here in February 2013 with no problems at all. It even flowers in the basement! Last winter, I don’t think I even watered it but the vases of the plant still had water in them when I took it outside in the spring.
<<<<2018>>>>
Billbergia nutans flowering in the basement on 1-12-18, #397-6.
I think it’s pretty neat how the Billbergia nutans flowers in the basement over the winter with very low light.
Billbergia nutans on 6-28-18, #466-7.
When warmer temperatures arrived, I put the Billbergia nutans back in the same spot it has been for the past few years. The light in this area has changed somewhat because I did some limb trimming on the tree it is under. I WILL get it divided and repotted in 2018.
Billbergia nutans on 7-8-18, #473-2.
The Billbergia nutans is sitting under a Chinese Elm tree behind the shed. We had an even worse year for the Japanese Beetles which love the elm tree leaves. It completely ruined the light in this area so I had to move most of the plants and the plant table to the front porch. I may move the Billbergia nutans to the front porch even though it doesn’t mind the full sun. You can see from the above photo how the Japanese Beetles chew on the leaves from the Chinese Elm and leaves them virtually see-through. The Billbergia nutans has never been bothered with any insects chewing on their thick leaves.
DIVIDING THE Billbergia nutans THE BEST WAY I CAN…
Billbergia nutans (Queen’s Tears) on 9-9-18, #505-17.
OK, I realize that time has past when it would have been easier to divide the Billbergia nutans. On September 9 (2018), I decided it was time to stop procrastinating and just do it.
Billbergia nutans crammed in the pot on 9-9-18, #505-18.
That is just about as tight a fit as you can get it… GEEZ! Please don’t wait as long as I did to divide and repot your plants…
Root-bound Billbergia nutans on 9-9-18, #505-19.
So, I removed the, ummm, plant from the pot. With all the rain we have been having, the roots were completely soaked. The last time I did this, maybe in 2015 or 2016, it was dry and the roots were white. It appeared the bottom half of this mass was mostly rotten. Hmmm… I wonder if the good roots are feeding off of the old rotting roots. I would like to say I never had a plant get this root bound before, but that wouldn’t be true. I will never forget the Parlor Palms… If you have a Parlor Palm and it has been in the same pot for a couple of years, it’s time for a larger pot… Trust me. 🙂
Billbergia nutans cut in half on 9-9-18, #505-20.
Once your plants get so root bound you can’t even pull them apart with your hands you need to use a sharp knife. There were several people who wanted a start, so I went to work. I first cut the lower half of the roots off. Then I went to work cutting the top half.
Billbergia nutans after dividing on 9-9-18, #505-21.
Ummm……….. I think they expanded after I took them out of the pot! How did they all fit in the pot? The clay pot on the left is the original pot Walley gave me my start back in 2012… The pot on the right is the one they just came from… It could have easily filled one twice that size by now.
Billbergia nutans repotted on 9-9-18, #505-22.
I put the largest cluster in the pot I just took them from and the rest I will give away. They can easily be divided even more… They are much happier now and have some soil to sink their roots in. I will wait a while before I pass these on because I want to make sure they will be OK. (If you know what I mean. I have to whisper because I don’t want them to think I have any doubts).
<<<<2019>>>>
Billbergia nutans on the front porch on 4-22-19, #561-6.
The Billbergia nutans was happy to get back outside after spending the winter in the basement. They need to be tidied up a bit…
Billbergia nutans (Queen’s Tears) on 8-11-19, #613-2.
I gave most of the pots to Wagler’s Greenhouse last summer and one to Yoder’s this spring. I still have three pots. One will go to a friend and one to my cousin… At some point. 🙂
The Billbergia nutans is definitely one of the most versatile and easy-to-grow plants I have ever experienced. I will continue adding more photos and information as time goes by.
I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. The links take you directly to the genus and species of this plant. If you notice I made an error, please let me know. You can always send an email at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com.
The Belmont Rooster 
I bought a small Billbergia Nutan at an estate sale in Los Angeles four years ago. I have divided it once and now have three pots. They are such beautiful, prolific plants. I am so proud of having adopted it; flown it to its new home in Texas, and nourishing it and keeping it healthy. Thanks for your article. I loved the pictures and appreciated the information.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hell there! They are great plants and just keep going. Very tough for sure and nice flowers to boot. I am glad you adopted yours and are doing well. Thanks for the comment!
LikeLike
I dug this type of plant out of my grandmothers yard over 12 years ago. She lived in north Florida. I brought it to my home in south Ga. and have moved it around with me ever since. I had it many years before it bloomed so you can imagine my surprise when it did.
I actually had no idea what this plant was until recently when I downloaded a plant identification app. I divided the plant once and gave half to my daughter who lives in Orlando. It is now way out of hand and I had no idea what the plant should look like and how to keep it from being so unruly until I found your post. Other sites listed the basic facts but your post has been the most helpful.
I look forward to divided the plant , sharing it with a few friends, and freshening it up a bit as soon as I can get to Lowes for some mix.
Just wanted you to know how helpful this post was to me.
Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello Leigh! It is quite a plant for sure! It is a very exciting time when the first buds appear and it’s amazing flowers just keep getting longer. I was also amazed at how it grows to completely stuff a pot. It just doesn’t stop no matter how big the pot is. I am very glad you found my post helpful and thanks for the GREAT comment! It is comments like yours that keep us bloggers motivated.
LikeLike
Hi, there! Thank you so much for the information provided!Your article has been read in Greece!
I found a pot near a garbage bin two weeks ago and I took it though I was on my scooter. . I’ve researched a lot and it seems it’s what you’ve described above. However, there are no flowers to make sure. There were way too many plants in the pot so I put it in a larger pot in order to breathe. I certainly need to separate them into more pots. Yet, the leaves are prickly and I had lots of scratches. After two weeks under a lemon tree the leaves do not seem that prickly.
Is it possible to send you a photo? I have added it on PlantNet application but haven’t named it yet. Your photos would also be valuable in the app.
Thanks again for the detailed article.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello Lena! Glad to hear from you! Very sad to hear the plant was discarded but very glad you took it home with you. When the plant flowers we will indeed have a better idea of what it is. If it is a Billbergia nutans, dividing it will not be easy. 🙂 I will check out PlantNet but you can use my photos as long as you state they are from The Belmont Rooster. I am sending you an email. Thanks for contacting me about your find. Take care!
LikeLike