Tillandsia
airplant
mostly many-ranked, rosulate, or occasionally 2-ranked and/or laxly arranged;
blade linear to triangular or ligulate, margins entire, trichomes usually conspicuous.
central, 1–many-flowered, 2-ranked;
floral bracts mostly broad, conspicuous, rachis covered or exposed at anthesis.
bisexual;
sepals distinct or adaxial pair connate, usually symmetric;
petals distinct;
stamens included or exserted, filaments free;
ovary superior.
cylindric, dehiscent.
with basal, white, plumose appendage.
Tillandsia
Widespread in the Neotropics
Species ca. 550 (13 species and 2 described natural hybrids in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Leaves 2-ranked; inflorescence 1–2(–3)-flowered. | → 2 |
1. Leaves many-ranked; inflorescence more than 3-flowered. | → 3 |
2. Stems elongate, plants forming pendent festoons; inflorescence reduced to single, apparently sessile flower, scape concealed within leaf sheath; petals yellow-green | T. usneoides |
2. Stems short, plants densely clustered to form spheric masses; inflorescence of (1–)2(–3) flowers, scape conspicuous; petals violet | T. recurvata |
3. Floral bracts spreading and/or small, exposing most of rachis at anthesis. | → 4 |
3. Floral bracts imbricate, broad, covering all or most of rachis, rachis not visible at anthesis. | → 5 |
4. Leaves 10–20, spirally twisted, banded silver; floral bracts 2.3–3.1 cm; inflorescences with 2–6 flowers per branch; corolla pink to dark rose | T. flexuosa |
4. Leaves greater than 20 in number, not twisted or banded (rarely variegated with linear cream stripes); floral bracts 1.2–2 cm; inflorescence with 6–11 flowers per branch; corolla white | T. utriculata |
5. Leaf sheath conspicuously inflated; plants pseudobulbous. | → 6 |
5. Leaf sheath flat or only slightly inflated; plants not pseudobulbous. | → 10 |
6. Leaf blade channeled to involute; scapes 8–35 cm; floral bracts glabrous to inconspicuously scaly near apex only. | → 7 |
6. Leaf blade involute; scapes 1–15 cm; floral bracts densely scaly. | → 8 |
7. Leaf blade and scape bracts twisted, reflexed | T. balbisiana |
7. Leaf blade and scape bracts erect to spreading | T. x smalliana |
8. Scape 7–15 cm; plants from extreme s Texas | T. baileyi |
8. Scape 6 cm or less; plants from Florida. | → 9 |
9. Inflorescence linear to narrowly elliptic; base of floral bracts visible at anthesis | T. paucifolia |
9. Inflorescence broadly elliptic; base of floral bracts not visible at anthesis | T. pruinosa |
10. Leaf blade obviously narrowly triangular, tapering evenly from base to apex. | → 11 |
10. Leaf blade linear-triangular to filiform. | → 12 |
11. Leaves soft, brittle; inflorescence simple or laxly 2–3 branched, never palmate; floral bracts 0.6–0.9 cm wide | T. variabilis |
11. Leaves stiff, leathery; inflorescence densely palmate to laxly 2(–3)-pinnate with 3–15 branches; floral bracts 1.2–2 cm wide | T. fasciculata |
12. Leaf sheath narrowly elliptic, 1.2–2 cm wide, slightly inflated | T. simulata |
12. Leaf sheath broadly elliptic to triangular, 0.8–2.5 cm wide, flat. | → 13 |
13. Leaves finely appressed-scaly, appearing green to reddish green; sheath of scape bracts, especially distal ones, narrowing abruptly into blade; floral bracts green or tinged red, uniformly scaly; corolla lavender | T. setacea |
13. Leaves densely and coarsely appressed-scaly, appearing gray; sheath of scape bracts narrowing gradually into blade; floral bracts uniformly red to rose, scaly distally, becoming sparsely scaly toward base; corolla violet. | → 14 |
14. Leaves 15–30, not over 0.5 cm wide at mid-length; inflorescence simple or with 1–5 lateral branches | T. bartramii |
14. Leaves 20–50, 0.5–1 cm wide at mid-length; inflorescence 2-pinnate with 2–10 lateral branches | T. x floridana |
LA Plants
MD Biodiversity
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