A cross made by Steve Correale is not only unusual, but really does not strongly resemble either of the parent plants. The foliage is broad, channeled and tapers to a fine point, much like a typical T. fasciata, which should be familiar to many. Tillandsia foliosa has softer, green foliage and the leaves of concolor are much smaller and narrow but stiff. The inflorescence is erect with a cluster of glossy, deep red-burgundy branches. Scape bracts are very long and leaf-like and the floral bracts are broad and much shorter. A handsome, unusual plant.

A three inch ball of silvery needles with a bright orange, six inch bloom spike. That about sums up this beautiful Mexican miniature Tillandsia from southwest Mexico. Native to medium altitudes in semi-arid, deciduous forests, this plants loves bright light and breezy conditions. Ageotropic, it can grow in any direction and is often found growing upside down in nature. This species used to be quite common in the trade, but when Mexico closed down to collecting some years back, only captive-bred plants are available and this is not noted to be a fast grower. Easy to cultivate, best mounted.

A very orange-blushing clone of Tillandsia funckiana from the collection of Herb Hill.  We don’t know much else about it but as with all T. funckiana, it’s a species from Venezuela that grows on bare rock on exposed cliffs.  The blooms are brilliant crimson and appear in winter.  It, like all other T. funckiana, forms large clusters over time.  A superb clone.

A form of Tillandsia funckiana described from cultivated plants from the collection of Prof. Dr. Werner Rauh. A typical caulescent form with mildly to strongly recurved leaves. No exact locality was given for the type specimen. Our plants, which originated with the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and have the accession number of SEL1985-1874 with Barinas as a locality. Barinas could be the state or city. Either way, it is in the Andes foothills adjacent to Merida which is a locality from which many T. funckiana collections have been made. A choice form. 

A rare and handsome lithophytic species from Guerrero, Mexico with succulent, silvery leaves that are fairly narrow, forming a somewhat bulbous based rosette to about 8 inches across or so. A clumping species that forms large colonies of many plants.

Quite beautiful in bloom, it has a spike with several branches that is bright pink and longer than the leaves. Flowers are deep purple-blue. We originally obtained this plant from Prof. Dr. Werner Rauh who was the author of this species.

An interesting Mexican lithophytic species from Oaxaca where it lives in very arid conditions on rock outcrops. The leaves are very stiff, almost needle-like, about 18 inches long. The habit is like that of Till. juncea, but the foliage is much more robust. Related to T. rodrigueziana.

THIS PLANT IS ON C.I.T.E.S. AND CANNOT BE EXPORTED

A Guatemalan species to about 8 x 10 inches with lovely thick silvery leaves, a bright red, cylindrical, simple spike and purple flowers. Nice for mounting. Considered an endangered species, is rather rare in nature, but very commonly cultivated. Especially easy to grow, a confidence builder for beginners.

A saxicolous species from Peru’s desert valleys. Like a small, caulescent, silver tectorum, with inch long leaves. Grow dry and bright.

Formerly Vriesea hitchcockiana, now classified as Tillandsia,  hitchcockiana has narrow, stiff leaves in a graceful rosette.  The inflorescence is pink, branched and very tall, with lavender flowers.  Native from Ecuador to Peru, it is a saxicole or epiphyte in nature.  It bears certain similarity to Vr. cereicola but lacks the stoloniferous habit of that species.

Tillandsia hitchcockiana and Vriesea cereicola are two species of gray leaved Vrieseas that are superficially similar. Both have stiff leaves and grow in a more or less tight, upright rosette. Their inflorescences, an overall pink, can be simple or branched. Some basic differences are this; hitchcockiana is a dark brownish gray and does not have stolons, cereicola is silver and is quite stoloniferous. Both are epiphytic or saxicolous, cereicola is fond of growing on cacti, hence the name.

A cliff dwelling species from the high badlands of Honduras grows in a somewhat caulescent rosette with wide silvery leaves that blush pinkish when in bloom. The inflorescence is capitate on a short scape of peach colored bracts and lavender flowers. The range of this rarity from central Honduras is restricted to a few isolated limestone cliffs. The natural population has been decimated by forest fires but fortunately it is easily propagated and now grown in fairly large numbers.

A large growing clone of the ‘Blushing Bride’ from Honduras. Vase-shaped, with the leaf tips curving outward, reaching over 3 inches tall; big for an ionantha! Blushes brilliant red when in bloom.