Billbergia nutans (Queen's Tears) is a vigorous growing bromeliad that is easy to cultivate and will readily form clumps of narrow upright bronzy-green rosettes. The nearly tubular 2 feet tall rosettes hold foot long slender leaves that have small teeth along the margins. In spring the arching flower stalks hold at their tips pink bracts and pendant flowers that have chartreuse green petals edged with royal-blue.

Plant in shade in a well-drained organic rich soil and water occasionally - for an epiphytic bromeliad this plant is surprisingly drought tolerant and can often be found surviving planted in the ground in shaded coastal California gardens that have received little or no irrigation but certainly the plants look better with a bit more water. It is reliably hardy to 30-32 degrees F but able to tolerate short duration temperatures much lower.