Bromelia karatas

Bromelia karatas is an evergreen perennial in the bromeliad family. Its native range runs from Mexico through tropical America. It also grows in the West Indies. Common names include Karatas, Camburito, and Pinuela. It grows at forest edges beside savannahs and in deciduous woods. Records place these habitats at 4,265–4,921 feet [1,300–1,500 metres] above sea level. Kew places it in the wet tropical biome. Other accounts describe it as a plant of drier tropical regions.

This large plant can reach 9.8 feet [3 metres] tall. PFAF gives the same figure for its mature spread. It has no above-ground stem and forms a leaf rosette. Underground stolons let it spread and form dense groups. Its leaves stay green year-round, and PFAF reports fast growth. People sometimes grow it as an ornamental plant. Its size and spreading habit matter when choosing a garden site. It also serves as a living fence in planted rows.

Give it full sun and soil that drains well. PFAF says it will not grow in shade. It accepts sandy, loamy, and clay soils, including poor soils. It can grow in mildly acid, neutral, or mildly alkaline ground. PFAF lists a preference for moist soil. This preference sits alongside accounts of growth in semi-arid climates. PFAF gives USDA hardiness zones 10–12. The supplied accounts do not give a flowering season. They also offer no named pest or disease problems.

The fruit can reach about 0.26 feet [0.08 metres] long. People eat it and use it in Atol de Pina. Local markets sometimes sell the fruit. Fine stinging hairs cover it and need removal before eating. Eating too much may cause blisters, so edibility does not mean harmlessness. People also eat very young flower clusters as vegetables. They blanch the tender leaf bases of young shoots. These parts can serve as vegetables or go into soups.

Mature leaves supply fibre for cloth, fishing lines, nets, and string. Reports also describe the juice as a soap substitute. Local people harvest the plant for food and medicinal uses. Traditional uses include applying its juice to fresh sores and wounds. An alcoholic preparation of the juice has been used on ulcers. These reports describe folk uses, not proof of safe treatment. The supplied sources do not establish safety for pets.