Tillandsia balbisiana |
Tillandsia ×smalliana |
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northern needleleaf, tillandsia de balbis |
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Habit | Plants single or clustering, flowering to 75 cm. | Plants single or clustering, flowering to 50 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. |
20–40, many-ranked, erect to spreading, gray, 30–45 × 1–2.2 cm, appressed-grayish-scaly; sheath dark rust-colored, broadly elliptic, conspicuously inflated, forming small pseudobulb, 3–4 cm wide; blade narrowly triangular, leathery, channeled to 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, 15–35 cm, 3–6 mm diam.; bracts densely imbricate, erect to spreading, like leaves but gradually smaller; sheath of bracts narrowing gradually into blade; spikes erect, 2-pinnate, narrowly elliptic, compressed, 2–6 × 1–1.5 cm, apex acute; lateral branches 3–13. |
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. |
5–40, conspicuous; sepals with adaxial pair connate, lanceolate, keeled, 2–2.4 cm, thin-leathery, veined, apex acute, surfaces slightly scaly; corolla tubular, petals erect, violet, ligulate, to 5 cm; stamens exserted; stigma exserted, conduplicate-spiral. |
Fruits | to 4 cm. |
to 3.8 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, red, broad (covering all or most of rachis, rachis not visible at anthesis), elliptic, keeled, 2–2.5 cm, leathery, base not visible at anthesis, apex acute, surfaces glabrous, venation even to slight. |
Tillandsia balbisiana |
Tillandsia ×smalliana |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–summer. | Flowering winter–summer. |
Habitat | Epiphytic on a variety of hosts in open woods, cypress swamps, coastal forest | Epiphytic, usually on Taxodium, in swamps and well-lit hammocks |
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 × smalliana has usually been misdetermined as T. polystachia (Linnaeus) Linnaeus, a common Caribbean species not known to occur in Florida. The probable parentage of Tillandsia × smalliana is T. balbisiana Schultes f. × T. fasciculata Swartz. (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) | H. Luther: Phytologia 57:176. (1985) |
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