Family: Bromeliaceae

Origin, Description & Uses
Wallisia cyanea (formerly Tillandsia cyanea), commonly known as pink quill, is a tropical bromeliad native to the forests of Ecuador and northwestern Peru. It is a compact epiphytic plant that naturally grows on trees, forming graceful rosettes of narrow, arching green leaves. Its most striking feature is the long-lasting, flattened pink flower spike, from which vibrant violet-purple flowers emerge. Because of its colorful, long-lasting display and ease of care, pink quill is widely grown as an ornamental houseplant, in tropical gardens, and mounted on wood or grown in hanging baskets.

Risks & Threats
Pink quill is considered a low-risk species for Hawaiʻi. It has not shown evidence of becoming invasive and is not known to spread aggressively or displace native vegetation. Like many ornamental bromeliads, it reproduces slowly by producing offsets (“pups”) around the base of the parent plant and generally relies on cultivation for its spread. With responsible planting and disposal of unwanted plants, Wallisia cyanea can be enjoyed as an attractive ornamental with minimal risk to Hawaiʻi’s natural ecosystems.

High Risk Traits:

• Suited to tropical/subtropical climates
  
• Repeated introductions outside native range (U.S., Australia, N.Z.)
  
• Shade-tolerant (partial sun to full shade)
  
• Produces viable, light-dependent seed
  
• Wind-dispersed seeds (comose)
  
• Widely sold and traded as an ornamental

Low Risk Traits:

• No naturalization reported
  
• Not a weed (garden, agricultural, or environmental)
  
• No spines, toxins, allelopathy, or parasitism
  
• No fire hazard (requires wet habitats)
  
• Specialized floral structure (specific pollinators likely)
  
• No vegetative spread
  
• Short-lived seed bank (viable only weeks)
  
• Poorly tolerates mutilation