Tillandsia variabilis |
Tillandsia paucifolia |
|
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leatherleaf airplant, tillandsia cambiante |
potbelly airplant |
|
Habit | Plants usually single, rarely clustering, flowering to 40 cm. | Plants single or clustering, flowering to 15 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. |
5–10, many-ranked, recurved to twisted, silvery gray, to 12 × 0.3–0.6 cm, grayish-scaly; sheath nearly chestnut brown within, ovate, conspicuously inflated, forming small pseudobulb, 1.5–3.5 cm wide; blade narrowly triangular, semisucculent, margins involute, apex obtuse to nearly acute. |
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 short and conspicous, erect or ascending, 1–6 cm, 2–3 mm diam.; bracts densely imbricate, erect to spreading, like leaves but gradually smaller; sheath of bracts narrowing gradually into blade; single spikes, or with 2–4 lateral spikes, usually ascending, pinnate, linear to narrowly elliptic, compressed, 2–7 × 0.6–1 cm, apex acute to obtuse. |
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. |
2–15, conspicuous; sepals with adaxial pair short connate, lanceolate, keeled, to 2 cm, thin-leathery to papery, veined, apex acute, surfaces sparsely scaly; corolla tubular; petals erect, lavender-blue, ligulate, to 4 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, pale pink, broad (covering all or most of rachis, rachis not visible at anthesis), elliptic, not keeled, 2–3 cm, thin-leathery, base visible at anthesis, apex broadly acute to obtuse, surfaces densely grayish-scaly. |
Tillandsia variabilis |
Tillandsia paucifolia |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring–fall. | Flowering spring–summer. |
Habitat | Epiphytic in moist, shaded habitats | Epiphytic in bright exposed habitats |
Elevation | 0–30 m (0–100 ft) | 0–30 m (0–100 ft) |
Distribution |
FL; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies
|
FL; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies |
Discussion | The leaf blade of Tillandsia paucifolia is often shorter than the leaf sheath. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 22. | FNA vol. 22. |
Parent taxa | Bromeliaceae > Tillandsia | Bromeliaceae > Tillandsia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | T. houzeavii, T. valenzuelana | |
Name authority | Schlechtendal: Linnaea 18:418. (1844) | Baker: Gard. Chron. ser. 2, 10:748. (1878) |
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