Urn plant
Sources last read 13 September 2026.
Forgiving Among the more tolerant plants here.
Also called Silver Vase Bromeliad, silver vase plant and urnplant.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Medium light 100–150 fcClemson Extension · read 13 September 2026Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1B — 10–15°C 10–15 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam, Sand; pH Acid or AlkalineRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
How it usually goes wrong
- Buds that yellow and drop on a leafy plant
The urn plant sets buds normally, and they yellow at the stalk and drop before they colour.
A bud is the most expensive thing on the plant. Kept below the partial shade its source names, or moved while in bud, the urn plant abandons buds before it abandons leaves.
Telling it apart: What happened in the fortnight before the buds dropped. A move, a turned pot or a dry spell is the usual answer.
RHSUrn plant leaves turning yellow: causes- Leaf tips go crisp and brown
Tips first on a urn plant, then margins. Affected tissue is papery and slightly curled, and the damage stops rather than advancing once conditions change.
Heated air holds less water than the plant loses into it, so moisture leaves the leaf faster than it arrives. Penn State Extension cites ASHRAE's indoor range of 30% to 60% relative humidity, and winter heating often takes a room below it.
Telling it apart: Where the plant stands. Browning concentrated on the side facing a heater points at the air.
Penn State ExtensionDiagnose brown tips and edges on this Urn plant- New leaves arrive smaller and paler than the ones below
A urn plant reaches. Stems extend between leaves, and the newest growth is the palest thing on the plant while older leaves hold their colour.
Placed below what its source describes, the plant prioritises reaching over building. Longer stems and smaller leaves are that choice made visible.
Telling it apart: Measure the gap between the newest two leaves against an older pair. Reaching is a change in spacing, not only in shade.
Clemson ExtensionUrn plant leaves turning yellow: causes- The plant yellows from below and the pot stays heavy
Yellow spreads upward through the urn plant a few leaves at a time, and the compost darkens and stays cold to the touch.
Roots sitting in water run out of oxygen, and the first sign above ground is the oldest leaves being given up. Its source describes moist but well-drained soil, which is air as much as water.
Telling it apart: Whether the drainage hole drips when the pot is tilted. Water still running out days later is the answer.
RHSUrn plant leaves turning yellow: causes
Not sure which it is? Ask the diagnosis questions for Urn plant.
Routine care
- Watering
- Its leaf rosette forms a central cup that holds water. Keep a little water (about 1 inch) in the cup at all times.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- By division.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Increase by offsets.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning is not needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by scale insects and mealybugs.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Mealybugs and scale insects can attack it. Disease is uncommon.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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About the plant
Aechmea fasciata is a species of flowering plant in the Bromeliaceae family. It is commonly called the silver vase or urn plant and is native to Brazil. This plant is probably the best known species in this genus, and it is often grown as a houseplant in temperate areas.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026BrazilNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026BrazilRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- epiphyteWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Epiphyte, Herbaceous Perennial; habit open, vaseNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Tufted (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 12–36 in; width 12–24 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers pink, purple/lavender; blooms in springNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers pink in summer; purple in summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
Common problems with Urn plant
Other Aechmea
More of the Bromeliaceae family
Scarlet starDry, curled edges on leaves near a heater
- No photograph yetAir PlantSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
- No photograph yetAir PlantSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
AnanasSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
CrypanthusSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Dwarf Rose-Stripe StarSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Plants with similar care
Blue passion flowerA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
Bush lilyDry, curled edges on leaves near a heater
Dog roseEdges of the leaves brown while the middle stays sound
English lavenderBuds form and fall before they open
Flaming KatyA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
Hardy fuchsiaBrown, papery patches on the leaves nearest the glass
Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Clemson Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.