'Dean' is a large vase plant grown for its foliage in tropical climates. In sunny spots it has broad, thick, sharply serrated leaves of mahogany red blending to chartreuse in the throat. The flower stem and scape bracts are fuchsia, the floral bracts are greenish-white. Bromeliads in the tropical American genus Aechmea are called vase plants or urn plants. Their curved leaves collect water and in the wild can be home to aquatic insects and microorganisms. Plants take several years to flower and will usually decline after the long-lasting blooms fade, but they can be restarted from “pups”: small side shoots. They like filtered light and loose soil mixed with small bark chips to increase porosity.