Pitcairnioideae is the terrestrial subfamily of the bromeliads (Bromeliaceae

Bromeliaceae

Bromeliaceae is a family of monocot flowering plants of around 3,170 species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana...

) with over 1000 species in 16 genera. Unlike the many epiphyte

Epiphyte

An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...

s and lithophyte

Lithophyte

Lithophytes are a type of plant that grows in or on rocks. Lithophytes feed off moss, nutrients in rain water, litter, and even their own dead tissue....

s which comprise the rest of the family, with a few exceptions, all of the members of this subfamily are either terrestrial

Terrestrial plant

A terrestrial plant is one that grows on land. Other types of plants are aquatic , epiphytic , lithophytes and aerial ....

 or saxicolous. Common to arid

Arid

A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...

 and high-altitude regions, this subfamily is considered to have the most ancient lineage, more closely resembling its grassy relatives than the exotic novelties represented in the other two subfamilies.