Billbergia vittata Brongn. ex Morel

  • Authority

    Smith, Lyman B. & Downs, Robert J. 1979. Bromelioideae (Bromeliaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 14 (3): 1493-2142. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Bromeliaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Billbergia vittata Brongn. ex Morel

  • Type

    Type. Morel Hortus s n (clonotype, P), Dec 1851.

  • Synonyms

    Billbergia zonata, Billbergia moreliana Henfr., Tillandsia moreliana Henfr., Billbergia rohaniana de Vriese, Billbergia amabilis Beer, Billbergia leopoldi K.Koch, Billbergia excellens Miq., Bromelia rohaniana Walp., Billbergia vittata var. amabilis (Beer) E.Morren, Billbergia vittata var. rohani Wittm.

  • Description

    Description - Leaves 8-10 in a tubular rosette, marked with broad white spots or bands especially beneath, the inner 4-12 dm long; sheaths large, narrowly elliptic, only a little wider than the blades and thus obscure, entire, sometimes purplish; blades ligulate, rounded and apiculate or broadly acute, 25-70 mm wide, laxly serrulate to armed with stout dark spines 6 mm long. Scape erect or decurved, slender or rather stout, red, glabrous; scape-bracts large, lanceolate, acute, red, rose or orange. Inflorescence compound at base, many-flowered, narrowly pyramidal, to 25 cm long, glabrous, often erect; primary bracts like the scape-bracts; branches densely or laxly 2-5-flowered. Floral bracts oblong or ovate, to 1/2 the length of the ovary; flowers sessile, spreading, 45-60 mm long. Sepals subsymmetric, oblong, rounded or emarginate but with a slender mucroniform soft apex, 20-24 mm long, dark blue at apex and orange-red elsewhere; petals slightly spiral-recurved at anthesis, the apical third dark blue and the remainder white or pale green, bearing 2 serrate scales at base; stamens shorter than the petals; ovary slenderly cylindric, sulcate, 10-18 mm long, the epigynous tube evident.

  • Distribution

    Saxicolous and epiphytic, 200-1400 m alt, Minas Gerais and adjacent areas, Brazil.

    Brazil South America| Espirito Santo Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| Guanabara Brazil South America|