Tillandsia kegeliana Mez

  • Authority

    Mori, S. A., et al. 1997. Guide to the vascular plants of central French Guiana: Part 1. Pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and monocotyledons. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 76: 1-422.

  • Family

    Bromeliaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Tillandsia kegeliana Mez

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants 9-14 cm tall, forming a small cyathiform, crateriform, or open, cinereous-green rosette. Leaves stiff-chartaceous, 7-15 cm long; sheath broadly ovate, 2.5-3.5 cm long, often concolorous with blade abaxially and purple-red adaxially; blade very narrowly triangular, 0.5-1.4 cm wide, attenuately acute, densely lepidote. Inflorescences 8-14 cm long, unbranched, subpendulous, the peduncle strongly decurved, 3-9.5 cm long, the spike ascending, densely and distichously 2-5-flowered, very strongly complanate, fan-shaped, 2.5-5 X 3-4.5 cm, the floral bracts ecarinate but sharply conduplicate and appearing alate, broadly ovate, 2.4-2.8 cm long, sparsely and minutely lepidote abaxially, lustrous-green with reddish margins to entirely reddish. Flowers appressed, subsessile; sepals 1.6-1.9 cm long, the posterior ones bluntly carinate at base, nearly free; petal blades slightly spreading, purple-red, obtuse at apex.

    Distribution and Ecology - Fr (May); epiphyte.