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The Earth star (Cryptanthus sp.) belongs to Bromeliaceae (the Pineapple family). It is an evergreen perennial that is a member of the Ananas family, native to Brazil, but grows in dry forests, not tropical rainforests. The leaves have short, sharp spines, and the thin-leaved ones are nicely colored. The thick-leaved variety seems to be more tolerant of drought. When it grows to a certain degree, it produces small white flowers. The photos show garden varieties: the top photo is 'Feuerzauber', the 2nd one is 'le Rey', the 3rd one is 'Maria Oppenheimer', and the bottom one is 'It'.
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