Tillandsia balbisiana |
Tillandsia simulata |
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northern needleleaf, tillandsia de balbis |
manatee river airplant |
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Habit | Plants single or clustering, flowering to 75 cm. | Plants single or clustering, flowering to 40 cm. |
Stems | short. |
short. |
Leaves | 15–30, many-ranked, reflexed, twisted or contorted, gray, often flushed red, to 65 × 0.6–1.4 cm, appressed-grayish-scaly; sheath conspicuously rust-colored toward base, ovate to elliptic, conspicuously inflated, forming small pseudobulb, 2–4 cm wide; blade linear-triangular, leathery, channeled to involute, apex attenuate. |
15–30, many-ranked, erect to spreading, gray, 20–40 × 0.1–0.4 cm, densely appressed-grayish-scaly; sheath chestnut brown, narrowly elliptic, slightly inflated, not forming pseudobulb, 1.2–2 cm wide; blade very narrowly linear-triangular, leathery, margins involute, apex attenuate. |
Inflorescences | scape conspicuous, erect, 8–30 cm, 2–4 mm diam.; bracts densely imbricate, spreading, recurved and twisted like leaves; sheath of bracts narrowing gradually into blade; spikes erect, 2-pinnate, linear, compressed, 2–10 × 1 cm, apex acute; lateral branches 2–10 (rarely simple). |
scape conspicuous, erect, 10–15 cm, 4–6 mm diam.; bracts densely imbricate, erect, like leaves but gradually smaller; sheath of bracts narrowing abruptly into blade; spikes erect to spreading, palmate, linear, compressed, 2–5 × 1 cm, apex acute; lateral branches 1–5. |
Flowers | 5–30, conspicuous; sepals with adaxial pair connate, lanceolate, keeled, 1.5–2 cm, leathery, apex acute, surfaces glabrous; corolla tubular; petals erect, violet, ligulate, to 3.5 cm; stamens exserted; stigma exserted, conduplicate-spiral. |
5–30, conspicuous; sepals with adaxial pair connate, elliptic, keeled, to 1.6 cm, thin-leathery, veined, apex obtuse, surfaces slightly scaly; corolla tubular, petals erect, violet, ligulate, 3–4.5 cm; stamens exserted; stigma exserted, conduplicate-spiral. |
Fruits | to 4 cm. |
to 3 cm. |
Floral | bracts imbricate, erect, green to red, broad (covering all or most of rachis, rachis not visible at anthesis), elliptic, keeled, 1.5–2 cm, leathery, base not visible at anthesis, apex acute, surfaces glabrous to inconspicuously scaly near apex only, venation even to slight. |
bracts imbricate, erect, rose, broad (covering all or most of rachis, rachis not visible at anthesis), elliptic, keeled, 1.4–1.8 cm, thin-leathery, base not visible at anthesis, apex acute, surfaces appressed-grayish-scaly, venation slight apically. |
Tillandsia balbisiana |
Tillandsia simulata |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring–summer. | Flowering spring. |
Habitat | Epiphytic on a variety of hosts in open woods, cypress swamps, coastal forest | Epiphytic on a variety of hosts in swamps and moist hammocks, usually in strong light |
Elevation | 0–30 m (0–100 ft) | 0–30 m (0–100 ft) |
Distribution |
FL; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies
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FL |
Discussion | Tillandsia simulata is a distinct species, but preserved material often is misdetermined as Tillandsia bartramii Elliott. L. B. Smith and R. J. Downs (1977) treated T. simulata as a synonym under T. bartramii. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 22. | FNA vol. 22. |
Parent taxa | Bromeliaceae > Tillandsia | Bromeliaceae > Tillandsia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Schultes f.: in J. J. Roemer and J. A. Schultes, Syst. Veg. 7(2):1212. (1830) | Small: Manual of the Southeastern Flora 270, 1503. (1933) |
Web links |