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ballmoss, small ballmoss, tillandsia recta o heno pequeño

cardinal airplant, giant airplant

Habit Plants in dense spheric clusters, flowering to 15 cm diam. Plants clustering, flowering to 65 cm.
Stems

short.

short.

Leaves

4–10, 2-ranked, recurving, gray, 6–12 × 0.2–0.3 cm, densely pruinose-scaly;

sheath pale, elliptic, not inflated, not forming pseudobulb, 4–8 mm wide;

blade subulate, terete distally, succulent, margins involute to nearly tubular, apex acute to attenuate.

20–50, many-ranked, erect to spreading, gray to gray-green, 25–50 × 1–2.5 cm, grayish-scaly;

sheath dark rust colored toward base, broadly elliptic, flat, not forming pseudobulb, 3–4 cm wide;

blade narrowly triangular, tapering evenly from base to apex, stiff, leathery, channeled to involute, apex attenuate.

Inflorescences

scape conspicuous, erect, 2–5 cm, ± 1 mm diam.;

bracts 1–2, widely spaced, erect, inconspicuous, nearly foliaceous;

sheath of bracts narrowing gradually into blade;

spikes ascending, subpalmate, elliptic, compressed, 8–15 ´ 4–6 mm, apex acute;

lateral branches absent.

scape conspicuous, erect or ascending, 10–35 cm, 4–8 mm diam.;

bracts densely imbricate, erect to spreading, like leaves but gradually smaller;

sheath of bracts narrowing gradually into blade;

spikes erect to spreading, densely palmate to laxly 2(–3)-pinnate, narrowly elliptic, compressed, 5–20 × 1.5–2.5 cm, apex acute;

lateral branches 3–15.

Flowers

usually 2, conspicuous;

sepals free, lanceolate, not keeled, 6–8 mm, thin, veined, apex acute, surfaces glabrous;

corolla tubular;

petals spreading toward apex, violet, elliptic, 0.7–1 cm;

stamens included;

stigma included, simple-erect.

10–50, conspicuous;

sepals with adaxial pair connate, lanceolate, to 1/2 keeled, to 4.2 cm, leathery, slightly veined, apex acute, surfaces glabrous to slightly scaly;

corolla tubular, petals erect, violet (white), ligulate, 5–6 cm;

stamens exserted;

stigma exserted, conduplicate-spiral.

Fruits

to 3 cm.

to 4 cm.

Floral

bracts laxly imbricate, erect, green, tinged purple, broad (covering all or most of rachis, rachis not visible at anthesis), narrowly elliptic, not keeled, 0.8–1 cm, thin-leathery, apex acute, surfaces densely grayish-scaly, venation even to slight.

bracts imbricate, erect, red, red-yellow-green, or green, broad (covering all or most of rachis, rachis not visible at anthesis), elliptic, keeled, 2–4.8 × 1.2–2 cm, thin-leathery, base not visible at anthesis, apex acute, surfaces glabrous or slightly scaly toward apex, venation even to slight.

Tillandsia recurvata

Tillandsia fasciculata

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Epiphytic to occasionally among or on rocks (Arizona, Texas), usually in bright exposed habitats
Elevation 0–1500 m [0–4900 ft]
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; FL; GA; LA; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 7 (3 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Parent taxa Bromeliaceae > Tillandsia Bromeliaceae > Tillandsia
Sibling taxa
T. baileyi, T. balbisiana, T. bartramii, T. fasciculata, T. flexuosa, T. paucifolia, T. pruinosa, T. setacea, T. simulata, T. usneoides, T. utriculata, T. variabilis, T. ×floridana, T. ×smalliana
T. baileyi, T. balbisiana, T. bartramii, T. flexuosa, T. paucifolia, T. pruinosa, T. recurvata, T. setacea, T. simulata, T. usneoides, T. utriculata, T. variabilis, T. ×floridana, T. ×smalliana
Subordinate taxa
T. fasciculata var. clavispica, T. fasciculata var. densispica, T. fasciculata var. fasciculata
Key
1. Spikes of inflorescence rarely less than 10 cm; floral bracts to 3–4.8 cm
var. fasciculata
1. Spikes of inflorescence, or at least their fertile portions, rarely over 10 cm; floral bracts 2–3 cm.
→ 2
2. Inflorescence laxly palmate, spikes stipitate with elongate, slender, sterile bracteate bases
var. clavispica
2. Inflorescence densely palmate, spikes short-stipitate to subsessile, without elongate, slender, sterile bracteate bases
var. densispica
Synonyms Renealmia recurvata, Diaphoranthema recurvata
Name authority (Linnaeus) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl., ed. 2 1: 410. (1762) Swartz: Prodr. 56. (1788)
Source FNA vol. 22. Treatment authors: Harry E. Luther, Gregory K. Brown. FNA vol. 22. Treatment authors: Harry E. Luther, Gregory K. Brown.
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