Curtis Botanical – Plate 6632 – Euphemia's Billbergia / Queen's Tears

Original antique black-and-white print from Curtis's Botanical Magazine — Plate 6632.

A Brazilian bromeliad named for Euphemia, Countess of Flanders — a reminder that Victorian botanical naming was as much about patronage and aristocracy as science. The Billbergia genus produces dramatic arching flower spikes of pink bracts and vivid blue-tipped flowers.

Florida, Gulf Coast, Hawaii — billbergias grow outdoors in warm zones.

Uncolored plate. Condition consistent with age of volume. Each print is a unique piece of botanical history, printed on paper aged over a century.

This plate originated with the Royal Horticultural Society and passed through Wheldon & Wesley, one of the great natural history dealers of the 20th century. We came into the archive by accident and have spent the time since trying to share it as widely as we can.