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leatherleaf airplant, tillandsia cambiante

cardinal airplant, giant airplant

Habit Plants usually single, rarely clustering, flowering to 40 cm. Plants clustering, flowering to 65 cm.
Stems

short.

short.

Leaves

15–20, many-ranked, spreading, gray-green or flushed rose, 12–30 × 1–2 cm, finely appressed-scaly;

sheath pale to nearly chestnut brown, ovate, flat, not forming pseudobulb, 2–4 cm wide;

blade narrowly triangular, tapering evenly from base to apex, nearly plane to channeled, soft, brittle, margins involute, apex attentuate.

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 or ascending, 3–10 cm, 2–5 mm diam.;

bracts densely imbricate, erect, blade often hanging, like leaves but gradually smaller;

sheath of bracts narrowing abruptly into blade;

spikes erect or ascending, never palmate, linear, compressed, 5–20 × 0.8–1.2 cm, apex acute; simple or laxly 2–3 lateral branches.

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

5–30, conspicuous;

sepals with adaxial pair connate, oblong, keeled, 1.5–1.8 cm, thin-leathery, slightly veined, apex obtuse, surfaces glabrous;

corolla tubular, petals erect, lavender-blue, ligulate, to 3 cm;

stamens exserted;

stigma exserted, conduplicate-spiral.

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, red, or purple, broad (covering all or most of rachis, rachis not visible at anthesis), elliptic, keeled toward apex, 1.8–2 × 0.6–0.9 cm, leathery, base visible in fruit, apex acute, surfaces glabrous.

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 variabilis

Tillandsia fasciculata

Phenology Flowering spring–fall.
Habitat Epiphytic in moist, shaded habitats
Elevation 0–30 m (0–100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; 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.)

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
Source FNA vol. 22. FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Bromeliaceae > Tillandsia Bromeliaceae > Tillandsia
Sibling taxa
T. baileyi, T. balbisiana, T. bartramii, T. fasciculata, T. flexuosa, T. paucifolia, T. pruinosa, T. recurvata, T. setacea, T. simulata, T. usneoides, T. utriculata, 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
Synonyms T. houzeavii, T. valenzuelana
Name authority Schlechtendal: Linnaea 18:418. (1844) Swartz: Prodr. 56. (1788)
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