Editing Bromeliaceae (section)

==Description==
[[Image:Bromeliad3.jpg|thumb|Bromeliad]]
Bromeliads are mostly [[Herbaceous plant|herbaceous]] [[Perennial plant|perennials]], although a few have a more tree-like habit. Many are more or less [[Succulent plant|succulent]] or have other adaptations to resist drought. They may be terrestrial or [[Epiphyte|epiphytic]], rarely climbing (e.g. ''[[Pitcairnia]]'' species).<ref name=WatsDall92/> Some species of ''[[Tillandsia]]'' (e.g. [[Spanish moss]], ''Tillandsia usneoides'') are  [[Raunkiær plant life-form#Aerophytes|aerophyte]]s, which have very reduced root systems and absorb water directly from the air.<ref name=GaláHageVice99>{{Cite journal |last1=Galán de Mera |first1=A. |last2=Hagen |first2=M.A. |last3=Vicente Orellana |first3=J.A. |date=1999 |title=Aerophyte, a New Life Form in Raunkiaer's Classification? |journal=Journal of Vegetation Science |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=65–68 |doi=10.2307/3237161 |jstor=3237161 |name-list-style=amp }}</ref> Many terrestrial and epiphytic bromeliads have their leaves in the form of vase-shaped rosettes which accumulate water. These rosettes, called "tanks", can hold as much as ten liters (eighteen pints) of water, and be little biotic communities unto themselves. One individual tank was found to contain the following: four [[harvestmen]], a spider, three species of [[wood lice]], a centipede, a "jumping millipede"[sic], a [[pseudoscorpion]], "various metallic beetles", [[earwigs]], a tree seedling, [[Chironomidae]] fly larva, an ant colony, an earthworm, numerous mites, and a small frog.<ref>{{cite book | editor= Silcock, Lisa |date=1992 | title= The rainforests - A Celebration | location= San Francisco | publisher= Chronicle Books | page= 155 | isbn= 0-8118-0155-1 }}</ref> Individual leaves are not divided and have parallel veins without cross connections. The epidermis of the leaf contains silica. Bromeliad flowers are aggregated into [[inflorescence]]s of various forms. The flowers have bracts, often brightly coloured, and distinct calyces of three [[sepal]]s and corollas of three [[petal]]s. The flowers have [[Nectar#Floral nectaries|nectaries]]. They are [[Pollination|pollinated]] by insects, birds (often [[hummingbird]]s) or bats, or more rarely (in ''[[Navia (plant)|Navia]]'') they are wind-pollinated. Fruits are variable, typically taking the form of a capsule or a berry.<ref name=WatsDall92>{{Citation |mode=cs1 |last1=Watson |first1=L. |last2=Dallwitz |first2=M.J. |date=1992–2021 |title=Bromeliaceae Juss. in ''The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval'' |website=delta-intkey.com |url=https://www.delta-intkey.com/angio/www/bromelia.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030053016/https://www.delta-intkey.com/angio/www/bromelia.htm |archive-date=2021-10-30 |name-list-style=amp }}</ref>

Bromeliads are able to live in an array of environmental conditions due to their many adaptations. [[Trichome]]s, in the form of scales or hairs, allow bromeliads to capture water in cloud forests and help to reflect sunlight in desert environments.<ref name= Schulte>{{cite journal | last1 = Schulte | first1 = Katharina | last2 = Barfuss | first2 = Michael H. | last3 = Zizka | first3 = Georg | year = 2009 | title = Phylogeny of Bromelioideae (Bromeliaceae) inferred from nuclear plastid DNA loci reveals the evolution of the tank habit within the subfamily | journal = Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume = 51 | issue = 2| pages = 327–39 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2009.02.003| pmid = 19236934 }}</ref> Bromeliads with leaf vases can capture water and nutrients in the absence of a well-developed root system.<ref name="Schulte"/> Many bromeliads also use [[crassulacean acid metabolism]] (CAM) [[photosynthesis]] to create sugars. This adaptation allows bromeliads in hot or dry climates to open their [[stoma]]ta at night rather than during the day, which reduces water loss.<ref name= Rex>{{cite journal | last1 = Rex | first1 = Martina | last2 = Patzolt | first2 = Kerstin | last3 = Schulte | first3 = Katharina | last4 = Zizka | first4 = Georg | last5 = Vasquuez | first5 = Roberto | last6 = Ibisch | first6 = Pierre L. | last7 = Weising | first7 = Kurt | year = 2007 | title = AFLP analysis of genetic relationships in the genus Fosterella L.B. Smith (Pitcairnioideae, Bromeliaceae) | doi = 10.1139/g06-141 | pmid = 17546075 | journal = Genome | volume = 50 | issue = 1| pages = 90–105 }}</ref> Both CAM and epiphytism have evolved multiple times within the family, with some taxa reverting to [[C3 carbon fixation|C3 photosynthesis]] as they radiated into less arid climates.<ref name=":1" />