Tillandsia singularis Mez & Wercklé

  • 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 singularis Mez & Wercklé

  • Type

    Type. Wercklé Bromel Costarric. 76 (holotype B, B photo 1191/20) without exact locality, Costa Rica.

  • Description

    Description - Plant stemless, flowering about 3 dm high. Leaves densely rosulate, subfasciculate, 15-25 cm long, very minutely and obscurely punctulate-lepidote; sheaths elliptic, conspicuous, dark-castaneous with a broad pale margin; blades ligulate, broadly rounded and apiculate, 20-25 mm wide at base, green. Scape slender, erect, from shorter than to about equaling the leaves; scape-bracts imbricate and wholly concealing the scape, elliptic-lanceolate, obtuse and apiculate, thin, prominently nerved, glabrous, bright red. Inflorescence slenderly pyramidal, laxly bipinnate, 15 cm long, glabrous, bright red; axis slender; primary bracts like the scape-bracts, only about half as long as the axillary branches; spikes suberect to spreading, short-stipitate with no sterile bracts at base, 4 cm long, laxly 6-8-flowered; rhachis slender, slightly geniculate, angled, sulcate. Floral bracts elliptic, obtuse, much shorter than the sepals, more than twice as long as the internodes but not at all concealing the rhachis, ecarinate, membranaceous, prominently nerved; flowers spreading, short-pedicellate. Sepals oblong, obtuse, prominently nerved, subfree, about 9 mm long, the posterior carinate; petals ligulate, 11 mm long; stamens and pistil included. Capsule cylindric, barely exceeding the sepals.

  • Distribution

    Epiphytic in forest, 700-1000 m alt, Costa Rica, Panama.

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