Tillandsia retorta Griseb. ex 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 retorta Griseb. ex Baker

  • Type

    Type. Lorentz 125 (holotype BM, isotypes B, GOET, M, P), Estancia Germania near Cordoba, Argentina.

  • Synonyms

    Tillandsia caespitosa Leconte, Tillandsia nappii var. darwinii Lorentz & Niederl.

  • Description

    Description - Plant flowering to 15 cm long but usually only half that; stems many from a single point, forming a dense globose mass, usually much branched, 2-8 cm long; roots present. Leaves distichous, 3-5 cm or rarely to 7 cm long, densely cinereous-lepidote; sheaths suborbicular, nerved with broad nerveless margins, normally glabrous with a ciliate margin of elongate scales but occasionally as lepidote as the blades, imbricate and making the stem appear 3-5 mm thick; blades recurved and contorted, slender, terete, acuminate-pungent, barely over 2 mm in diameter, nerved when dry. Scape terminal or pseudo-axillary, from almost none to 55 mm long, but usually quite short, slender, densely lepidote, bractless. Inflorescence 1-2-flowered, densely cinereous-lepidote; rhachis produced behind the terminal flower. Floral bracts erect, ovate, acute or acuminate, 10-12 mm long, equaling or exceeding the sepals, slightly more than twice as long as the internodes, nerved; flowers subsessile. Sepals lance-oblong, acute, 10 mm long, thin, nerved, lepidote, much connate posteriorly; petals yellow, blade distinct, narrowly elliptic, 6 mm long; stamens deeply included, exceeding the pistil. Capsule slenderly cylindric, abruptly short-beaked, 25-30 mm long.

  • Discussion

    Note: Tillandsia retorta hybridizes with related species producing plants with intermediate characters.

  • Distribution

    Epiphytic, 600-1000 m alt, Argentina.

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