bro·me·li·ad / brōˈmēlēˌad/ • n. a plant (Bromelia and other genera, family Bromeliaceae) of tropical and subtropical America, typically having short stems with rosettes of stiff, usually spiny, leaves. Some kinds are epiphytic, and many are cultivated as houseplants.

bromeliad Any of the 1700 species of the pineapple family (Bromeliaceae). Most are native to the tropics and subtropics and, besides the pineapple, include many of the larger epiphytes of trees of the rainforests.