Aechmea chantinii ‘Samurai’ is an beautiful bromeliad cultivar that has both striking flowers and awesome patterned foliage with variegation and silvery bands. There are many, many cultivars and forma of A. chantinii (amazonica var. fuchsii, ET), and many of these are being tissue cultured in Japan. This cultivar is one of the names forma, and it makes a rather impressive statement in container plantings. I purchased this plant in the spring, and kept it in full sun all summer with my container plants, and right now, I have planted it in a large hanging basket in the greenhouse with some begonia ‘Marmaduke’, since the copper speckled foliage plays nicely with the intense, over-designed patterning in the Aechmea foliage.
I don’t grow many bromeliads but I think I will start collecting more, since they make great container specimens in the summer outdoors, and they are pretty care-free when kept in the greenhouse or in a bright window.
Oh, I love it! Bromeliads are kind of my thing, and with the exception of the occasional vase rot they can handle just about anything. I like the foliage of 'samurai' even more than the bloom!