Monographs Details:
Authority:
Smith, Lyman B. & Downs, Robert J. 1977. Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 14 (2): 663-1492. (Published by NYBG Press)
Smith, Lyman B. & Downs, Robert J. 1977. Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 14 (2): 663-1492. (Published by NYBG Press)
Family:
Bromeliaceae
Bromeliaceae
Description:
Description - Plant stemless, very variable in habit and size, 2-10 dm high. Leaves many in a crateriform rosette, 3-7 dm long; sheaths ovate, nearly flat, large, very dark ferruginous or castaneous at least toward the base, very Finely and densely brown-appressed-lepidote, the surface appearing smooth and even lustrous; blades narrowly triangular, attenuate, rigid, 2-3 cm wide, Finely keeled below, almost always involute-subulate toward the apex, usually finely pale-appressed-lepidote on both sides. Scape erect or rarely ascending, stout, shorter than the leaves; scape-bracts erect, densely imbricate, the lower foliaceous, the upper broadly ovate with linear-subulate blades, coriaceous, appressed-lepidote, red or green tinged with red, usually drying to yellow-brown. Inflorescence simple or digitately or rarely pinnately compound with simple branches; primary bracts like the upper scape-bracts but with little or no blade, several times shorter than the axillary spikes, lepidote; spikes erect to spreading or rarely reflexed, sessile or subsessile or sometimes clavate with an elongate sterile base, usually dense, 6-26-flowered, with few to numerous, imbricate, reduced, sterile bracts at base, to 3 dm long and 4 cm wide, more or less complanate; rhachis straight, angled, glabrous. Floral bracts erect, imbricate, broadly ovate or elliptic, acute, 2-5 cm long, usually exceeding the sepals, to eight times as long as the internodes, coriaceous, rigid, even or nerved toward apex, carinate, usually glabrous or lepidote only near the apex, often colored; flowers erect, subsessile. Sepals lanceolate, acute, carinate, the posterior ones usually high-connate; petals linear, tubular-erect, to 6 cm long, white to purple; stamens and pistil exserted. Capsule stout, acuminate, 4 cm long.
Description - Plant stemless, very variable in habit and size, 2-10 dm high. Leaves many in a crateriform rosette, 3-7 dm long; sheaths ovate, nearly flat, large, very dark ferruginous or castaneous at least toward the base, very Finely and densely brown-appressed-lepidote, the surface appearing smooth and even lustrous; blades narrowly triangular, attenuate, rigid, 2-3 cm wide, Finely keeled below, almost always involute-subulate toward the apex, usually finely pale-appressed-lepidote on both sides. Scape erect or rarely ascending, stout, shorter than the leaves; scape-bracts erect, densely imbricate, the lower foliaceous, the upper broadly ovate with linear-subulate blades, coriaceous, appressed-lepidote, red or green tinged with red, usually drying to yellow-brown. Inflorescence simple or digitately or rarely pinnately compound with simple branches; primary bracts like the upper scape-bracts but with little or no blade, several times shorter than the axillary spikes, lepidote; spikes erect to spreading or rarely reflexed, sessile or subsessile or sometimes clavate with an elongate sterile base, usually dense, 6-26-flowered, with few to numerous, imbricate, reduced, sterile bracts at base, to 3 dm long and 4 cm wide, more or less complanate; rhachis straight, angled, glabrous. Floral bracts erect, imbricate, broadly ovate or elliptic, acute, 2-5 cm long, usually exceeding the sepals, to eight times as long as the internodes, coriaceous, rigid, even or nerved toward apex, carinate, usually glabrous or lepidote only near the apex, often colored; flowers erect, subsessile. Sepals lanceolate, acute, carinate, the posterior ones usually high-connate; petals linear, tubular-erect, to 6 cm long, white to purple; stamens and pistil exserted. Capsule stout, acuminate, 4 cm long.