Tillandsia aëranthos (Loisel.) L.B.Sm.

  • Authority

    Smith, Lyman B. & Downs, Robert J. 1977. Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 14 (2): 663-1492. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Bromeliaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Tillandsia aëranthos (Loisel.) L.B.Sm.

  • Type

    Type. In the absence of any specimen the species is typified by the original illustration and description.

  • Synonyms

    Pourretia aeranthos Loisel., Tillandsia dianthoidea G.Rossi, Tillandsia bicolor Brongn., Tillandsia stricta Sol. ex Ker Gawl., Tillandsia unca Hicken, Tillandsia microxiphion Baker, Amalia aëris-incola Saunders Hortus ex Schult.f., C.Roemer & Schult., Anoplophytum aëranthus (Loisel.) Beer, Tillandsia aëranthos var. major Marn.-Lap., Anoplophytum dianthoideum (Rossi) Beer, Anoplophytum dianthoideum (Rossi) Beer, Tillandsia aëranthos var. major Marn.-Lap.

  • Description

    Description - Plant flowering 9-32 cm high; stem usually well developed. Leaves many, densely polystichous, usually suberect, rarely slightly secund, 4-14 cm long, covered with fine appressed cinereous scales; sheaths obscure, short; blades rigid, narrowly triangular, attenuate, 5-13 mm wide, often carinate. Scape well developed, erect, slender, glabrous; scape-bracts imbricate, elliptic with linear blades, subinflated, membranaceous, rose, appressed-lepidote. Inflorescence simple with 5-20 flowers in more than 2 ranks, dense or subdense, ovoid or short-cylindric. Floral bracts ovate, usually exceeding the sepals but sometimes only equaling them, acute or the lowest with short filiform lepidote blades, inflated, membranaceous, nerved, glabrous, bright rose in life; flowers sessile, erect or suberect. Sepals lanceolate, acute, 12-19 mm long, the posterior high-connate, membranaceous, glabrous; petals 17-27 mm long, the blades broadly elliptic, very dark blue; stamens included; filaments plicate. Capsule about equaling the sepals.

  • Distribution

    Epiphytic in woods, mostly near sea level, southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina.

    Brazil South America| Santa Catarina Brazil South America| Rio Grande do Sul Brazil South America| Paraguay South America| Uruguay South America| Tacuarembó Uruguay South America| Durazno Uruguay South America| Florida Uruguay South America| Rocha Uruguay South America| San José Uruguay South America| Canelones Uruguay South America| Montevideo Uruguay South America| Maldonado Uruguay South America|