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 unique yellow-blushing clone of Tillandsia ionantha with white flowers. When in bloom, the whole top of the plant turns a bright golden yellow instead of red. A beautiful sight! Found amongst plants imported from Veracruz, Mexico by Drew Schulz and later named ‘Druid’ by her husband in her honor, adding a twist of mystery as well.

Easy to grow as the ‘normal’ form and thus far, completely stable.

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.

A Mexican form of ionantha with the same unique characteristics as the more familiar ‘Zebrina’; that of having even breaks in the trichomes, forming a decorative banded pattern. The ‘Zebrina’ looks to be a Guatemalan form of ionantha, differing only slightly from this form. The Mexican form differs mainly in blushing much brighter red at anthesis. We found this plant when splitting a group of Mexican ionanthas quite some years ago and have propagated them since. The name is inspired by the Zebra painted donkeys used by street photographers in Tijuana.

We have had this plant for quite a few years, having acquired it as T. ionantha ‘Snake’. It appears to be a hybrid with ionantha as one parent, but the other is unknown. Sometimes growing conditions will cause ionantha varieties to grow excessively long, but this one grows and grows under normal greenhouse conditions here in Florida. Aside from the long stem, which can reach well over 24 inches, it has narrow, fleshy leaves, hundreds of them, along the stem. The foliage is silvery gray and the inflorescence is a short scape of tight pink branches that barely exerts itself above the foliage. Offsets form along the stem at irregular intervals. An oddity worth growing.