Tillandsia streptocarpa Baker

  • 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 streptocarpa Baker

  • Type

    Type. Balansa 615 (holotype K, GH photo; P, S, isotypes), Luque, Paraguay, Aug 1876.

  • Synonyms

    Tillandsia tricholepis Baker, Tillandsia soratensis Baker, Tillandsia bakeriana Britten, Tillandsia condensata Baker, Tillandsia streptocarpa var. peruviana Ule, Tillandsia apoloensis Rusby, Tillandsia streptocarpa var. filifolia Hassl., Tillandsia retrorsa Silveira, Tillandsia grao-mogulensis Silveira, Tillandsia apoloensis Rusby, Tillandsia streptocarpa var. pungens Chodat & Vischer

  • Description

    Description - Plant flowering 1-5 dm high; stem 1 dm to almost lacking. Leaves 8-50 cm long, covered with slender spreading cinereous scales; sheaths densely imbricate along the stem or subrosulate, broadly ovate or suborbicular, 1-2 cm long; blades spreading or recurved, linear-triangular, long-attenuate, to 15 mm wide at base, more or less involute-subulate, usually recurved at apex and grasping the branch on which it rests. Scape erect, slender, nearly glabrous; scape-bracts many, imbricate, lanceolate, acute, densely lepidote, nerved, the lowest with slender foliaceous blades. Inflorescence bipinnate from 2-12 spikes or rarely simple; primary bracts erect, like the upper scape-bracts, much shorter than the spikes; spikes linear to elliptic, arched-spreading from an erect densely bracteate sterile base, complanate, 3-12-flowered; rhachis exposed, flexuous, slender, angled, soon glabrous. Floral bracts lanceolate, acute or subobtuse, slightly shorter than the sepals, subpapyraceous, nerved, lepidote or glabrous; flowers erect. Sepals free or very short-connate, oblong, broadly acute or obtuse, 10-13 mm long, ecarinate, subcoriaceous, glabrous; petals ca 25 mm long, the blades spreading, very broadly obovate, blue or purple; stamens deeply included, exceeding the pistil. Capsule cylindric, slender, 3-5 cm long.

  • Discussion

    Note. Recent field observations by Rauh indicate that Tillandsia streptocarpa Baker is conspecific with T. paleacea Presl, but the information is too late for incorporation here. As in the case of T. latifolia Meyen and T. purpurea Ruiz & Pavon, the older name appears to belong to the younger element in an evolutionary sense.

  • Distribution

    Saxicolous in sun or epiphytic in forest, 60-2300 m alt, Peru to Paraguay and Brazil.

    Peru South America| Amazonas Peru South America| Ayacucho Peru South America| Apurímac Peru South America| Cusco Peru South America| Bolivia South America| La Paz Bolivia South America| Santa Cruz Bolivia South America| Valle Grande Bolivia South America| Valle Grande Bolivia South America| Tarija Bolivia South America| Paraíba Brazil South America| Pernambuco Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Goiás Brazil South America| Distrito Federal Brazil South America| Mato Grosso Brazil South America| São Paulo Brazil South America| Paraná Brazil South America| Rio Grande do Sul Brazil South America| Paraguay South America|