Tillandsia usneoides |
Tillandsia recurvata |
|
---|---|---|
black-moss, long-moss, mousse, mousse espagnole, Spanish-moss |
ball-moss, small ballmoss, tillandsia recta o heno pequeño |
|
Habit | Plants pendent in long festoons, flowering to 300 cm. | Plants in dense spheric clusters, flowering to 15 cm diam. |
Stems | elongate. |
short. |
Leaves | 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. |
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. |
Inflorescences | scape concealed within leaf sheath, appearing scapeless, pendent with shoot, ± 1 mm diam. |
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. |
Flowers | 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. |
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. |
Fruits | to 2.5 cm. |
to 3 cm. |
Floral | 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. |
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. |
Tillandsia usneoides |
Tillandsia recurvata |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Epiphytic, occasionally on fences, telephone lines | Epiphytic to occasionally among or on rocks (Arizona, Texas), usually in bright exposed habitats |
Elevation | 0–300 m (0–1000 ft) | 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX; VA; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies
|
AZ; FL; GA; LA; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies
|
Source | FNA vol. 22. | FNA vol. 22. |
Parent taxa | Bromeliaceae > Tillandsia | Bromeliaceae > Tillandsia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Renealmia usneoides, Dendropogon usneoides | Renealmia recurvata, Diaphoranthema recurvata |
Name authority | (Linnaeus) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl., ed. 2 1: 411. (1762) | (Linnaeus) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl., ed. 2 1: 410. (1762) |
Web links |