Here's a close-up.

Hi everyone.
janartmuse - Your plant is a Billbergia; as for just which one, I couldn't say.

What I can say though is your photography is great and you've captured the beauty of the Billbergia flowers superbly in both pictures especially the close-up picture 2.

If you could get a shot of the whole plant from the side and looking down from the top so the foliage pattern is visible, you would stand a better chance of having someone ID it for you.

Thanks for sharing.

All the best, Nev.

Thank-you, I just took a couple more pictures. It is sharing a large pot with a tall euphorbia, hence the sticks in the middle of the pictures! Hope I can post both....

The color is pretty accurate, too. A lot of dusky purple in the green.

I think it is Bill Murial Waterman.

Japie

Hi !!!! Japie long time no hear from you, how are you? And I agree on the ID

Thank you so much! I need to make a tag, so I don't forget! Since you both seem to be officianados, perhaps you can also tell me what this plant is? I assume it's a vriesea, though I've never seen it bloom, Am getting impatient with it, since I've had it at least ten years!

How much light did this one get where it is growing? It looks like that it needs a bit more light to bring out its true colour. I do not think it is the same as the one you queried in my other post - Vr Sherlette Shiigi. This one of you might rather e a Vr Red Chestnut or a fosteriana rubra, but I'd rather go for Red Chestnut. Give it more light and it will be stunning!

Japie

Patients and a low dose liquid fertilizer (in the growing season only)is the only way to grow Vriesea. They are a big challenge to grow in the heat where I live.
Another genera some of you might want to grow is Alcantarea. Some of these like 'odorata' are large, fragrant and the foliage is
outstanding

Thanks for the advice. Perhaps I should put it out in the sun? It is on my porch and gets morning sun only.

Hi everyone.

janartmuse - I agree with Japie, after looking at some of my old pic's I think your plant is Bill 'Muriel Waterman'.

I'm posting a (not very good) pic. of my plant for comparison. It was grown beneath 75% beige shade cloth. The actual pic's were taken using flash while the plant was hanging from the ceiling of my garage so I could capture the flowers better, unfortunately the flash has distorted the colour of the foliage.

All the best, Nev

Back again - Here's a second close-up pic (not up to your standard) of the flowers on my plant.

All the best, Nev.

janartmuse - As for your second picture, I think it's Vr. fosteriana.

I'm attaching a picture of one of my plants which I purchased as Vr. fosteriana and which receives good light having been grown beneath 75% beige shade cloth.

The colour is darker than yours (probably due to the better light) but I have also been told by a couple of growers that it could be Vr. 'Red Chestnut' which is a cv. of fosteriana v. seideliana.

The thing is it seems that these days every Vr. fosteriana you see has a Vr. Red Chestnut name tag on it so it's hard (at least for me) to know which is which.

You also say you are impatient to have your plant flower; all I can say is don't get too excited as the flower isn't anything spectacular as these plants are grown mainly for the foliage colour.

All the best, Nev.

Thanks so much! I am clearing a spot where it will get more light, but not burning sun. Fortunately here in Berkeley, CA, it is foggy most of the summer, at least for half the day. The vriesea actually had better color a couple months ago, and I suppose it is the fog that has cut the light to too little. It is a beautiful plant, even if too green. Two months ago it looked a lot more like your photo, so i am sure it is light. Our sunny periods are the spring and fall. Summer is blah dark. This morning is no exception.... Thank-you!