The flower spike of this bromeliad can reach 6 feet. As it reaches upward, it's covered first with silvery gray bracts protecting the buds, then prolific yellow blooms. Their remarkable fragrance earned it the name odorata. Each Vriesea blooms only once, then dies down to make room for its young offshoots, called pups.

It's native to Brazil's rocky southern mountains, so it needs a lot of sun and heat. If you want to grow it in our climate, you need to bring it indoors before the first frost.