Tillandsia recurvata |
Tillandsia usneoides |
|
|---|---|---|
|
ballmoss, small ballmoss, tillandsia recta o heno pequeño |
Spanish moss |
|
| Habit | Plants in dense spheric clusters, flowering to 15 cm diam. | Plants pendent in long festoons, flowering to 300 cm. |
| Stems | short. |
elongate. |
| 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. |
4–8, 2-ranked, often twisted or contorted, gray to silver-gray, 1.5–3 × 0.1–0.2 cm, densely grayish-scaly; sheath pale, narrowly elliptic, not inflated, not forming pseudobulb, 0.2–0.4 cm wide; blade filiform, succulent, margins involute to nearly tubular, apex acute. |
| 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 concealed within leaf sheath, appearing scapeless, pendent with shoot, ± 1 mm diam. |
| 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. |
1, inconspicuous, apparently sessile; sepals free, ovate, not keeled, 0.6–0.7 cm, thin, veined, apex acute, surfaces glabrous; corolla spreading, petals spreading, yellow-green, elliptic, to 1 cm; stamens included; stigma included, simple-erect. |
| Fruits | to 3 cm. |
to 2.5 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 enveloping flower, erect, green, broad (covering all or most of rachis, rachis not visible at anthesis), ovate, not keeled, 0.4–0.5 cm, thin-leathery, apex acute, surfaces densely grayish-scaly, venation even to slight. |
Tillandsia recurvata |
Tillandsia usneoides |
|
| Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering summer. |
| Habitat | Epiphytic to occasionally among or on rocks (Arizona, Texas), usually in bright exposed habitats | Epiphytic, occasionally on fences, telephone lines |
| Elevation | 0–1500 m [0–4900 ft] | 0–300 m [0–1000 ft] |
| Distribution |
AZ; FL; GA; LA; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies
|
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX; VA; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies
|
| Parent taxa | ||
| Sibling taxa | ||
| Synonyms | Renealmia recurvata, Diaphoranthema recurvata | Renealmia usneoides, Dendropogon usneoides |
| Name authority | (Linnaeus) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl., ed. 2 1: 410. (1762) | (Linnaeus) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl., ed. 2 1: 411. (1762) |
| Source | FNA vol. 22. | FNA vol. 22. |
| Web links | ||