Vriesea heliconioides (Kunth) Hook. ex Walp.

  • Family

    Bromeliaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Vriesea heliconioides (Kunth) Hook. ex Walp.

  • Primary Citation

    Ann. Bot. Syst. 3: 623. 1862

  • Basionym

    Tillandsia heliconioides Kunth

  • Description

    Author : Juan Francisco Morales, Xavier Cornejo & Reinaldo Aguilar.

    Description: Epiphytic herbs, forming funnelform rosettes. Blades ligulate, 18-37 x 1.5-3.2 cm, the apex acute or acuminate. Scapes erect, usually much shorter than leaves, 10.5-18 cm long; scape bracts erect, very densely overlapping, green, reddish-green to purple, broadly ovate, the apex acute. Inflorescences simple, oblong in outline, densely flowered, 8-20 cm long, compressed. Floral bracts broadly ovate to shortly lanceolate, 30-55 mm long, reddish to purple, chartaceous. Flowers erect or suberect, subsessile; sepals lanceolate, 21-31 mm long, the apex acuminate; petals ligulate, white, each bearing 2 ovate scales; stamens shorter than petals. Fruits capsules, 43-52 mm long. Seeds with reddish-brown coma.

    Common names: None recorded.

    Distribution: Southern Mexico to Bolivia from sea level to 900 m (Smith & Downs, 1977; Morales, 2003).

    Ecology: In wet forests.

    Phenology: This species has been observed with flowers from Jul to Sep (Morales, 2003).

    Pollination: No observations recorded, but this species is most likely pollinated by hummingbirds because of the reddish to purple floral bracts.

    Dispersal: Wind dispersed.

    Taxonomic notes: This species is recognized by the erect complanate inflorescences bearing large, imbricate, distichous, red floral bracts.

    Conservation: Not recorded.

    Uses: This species is cultivated as an ornamental.

    Etymology: The epithet refers to the resemblance of the inflorescence of this species to those of the genus Heliconia (Heliconiaceae).

  • Floras and Monographs

    Vriesea heliconioides (Kunth) Hook. ex Walp.: [Article] Smith, Lyman B. & Downs, Robert J. 1977. Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 14 (2): 663-1492.