A cross of two plants of the southern cone of South America. Tillandsia ixioides which has few, very stiff leaves and no appreciable stem and bergeri which has a long stem and many short, stiff leaves. The result is a plant with many stiff leaves that recurve downwards in a rosette to about 4 inches in diameter. The inflorescence favors bergeri, with pale blue, twisted petals.

A small plant with grayish silver leaves in an upright rosette. It is clustering and has a short scape with bright pink bracts and yellowish flowers.

A smallish species of Tillandsia that grows on a long stem.  The narrow, stiff leaves are 2 to 3 inches long spaced along the stem and taper to a point.  The overall color is dark purplish with a silvery tint.  The inflorescence is a 2 inch scape with bright pink bracts and flaring blue flowers.  Clumps are easily formed and once a clump forms, the plants can be suspended from a string for cultivation. 

Native to Rio Grande do Sul in Southern Brazil, it has a strong resemblance to T. aeranthos though it must be significantly different enough to deserve species status.  Our plants came originally from the collection of Elton Leme. 

A tall Tillandsia with needle-like leaves to over 18 inches. Great for using as an accent in mounted arrangements. Will eventually form a large clump. Inflorescence is simple, greenish white to pink to red in color.

This taxon was treated as a synonym of T. juncea by Mez 1935 and S&D in 1977 but the name persists. This name continues to be used by Guatemalan growers and others for the nursery trade for a small, green form with longish stolons. It could be treated as a form of T. juncea not a species in its own right but is best treated as a cultivar ‘Juncifolia’

An interesting cross of kegeliana x rothii for which we have little information. The plant most certainly show strong influence of the rothii parent with an open rosette shape of wide, fairly stiff leaves and a branched inflorescence of inflated branches. The kegeliana doesn’t manifest itself much but definitely makes the plant look a lot different than a pure rothii. The flowers are white.

This one of the larger species, growing to well over 12 inches tall. It is more upright with silvery leaves and an inflorescence of orange which terminates in an offset.

A fine example of the variable divaricata group of latifolias. Common to southern Ecuador, it is found mostly in colonies on the ground in treeless desert areas. The plants form dense mats of hard, reflective silvery leaves, their tall shiny orange spikes glistening in the full sun. In cultivation, where conditions are relatively much less stressful, they grow somewhat larger than in their native habitats, reaching about 18 inches tall. Very slow growing.

A variable plant from Ecuador and Peru with several forms is the most caulescent of the latifolia family. In some instances the plants can reach an astonishing six or more feet in length. In cultivation they rarely reach more than 3 feet. The flower spike is glabrous and bright orange. The stem of the plant is up to 30 inches and more with dark grayish foliage that is broad and rather soft.

An interesting species from Bahia, Brazil where it grows on exposed rock. Upright growing with narrow, 8 inch long leaves on a caulescent stem. The inflorescence is an erect spike, slightly taller than the foliage, terminating with a cluster of pink bracts and white flowers. A mature plant in bloom can reach 16 inches tall and 8 inches wide. Our plant is decended directly from the type collection by Elton Leme.

A variety of T. mima from the area of Rio Jequetepeque in the Department of Cajamarca, Peru that was discovered by Prof. Dr. Werner Rauh and published in 1977. A saxicole in nature, it has extremely heavy, wire-like roots for holding fast to rocks. Differing from the other typical forms of mima in having narrow foliage, many leaves and a smaller size of only about 24 inches maximum and usually smaller. Like the other forms, produces adventitious offsets at the base and this form also produces them on the inflorescence as well.

The inflorescence is quite tall, over 3 feet, tripinnate and bearing dark violet flowers. Our plants came from Dr. Rauh many years ago. We find this species hardy but very slow growing.