 Instead, it is a flowering plant (angiosperm) in the family Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) which grows hanging from tree branches in full sun through partial shade.Formerly this plant has been placed in the genera "Anoplophytum", "Caraguata", and "Renealmia".The northern limit of its natural range is Northampton County, Virginia, with colonial-era reports in southern Maryland where no populations are now known to be extant.