This plant is a bit of an enigma. It came to us years ago, on more than one occasion, mixed in with wild taken plants shipped as fasciculata ‘Hondurensis’ from Honduras, of course. (That plant was recently given cultivar status as Tillandsia ‘Hondurensis’). That plant lives on cliff faces in central Honduras, often in association with the species Til. hondurensis.

Confused yet? Well, some years ago Steve Correale found a natural hybrid of the two species which was described and published as Til. x correalii. Presumably any combination of the two species would be considered an x correalii. X correalii has an inflorescence much more closely resembling that of its Tillandsia hondurensis parent. Our plant has a branched inflorescence, much more in line with fasciculata ‘Hondurensis’, but otherwise also appears to be a hybrid with hondurensis.

So, is this just a ‘branched form’ of x correalii or another natural hybrid deserving its own name? We are certainly in no position to make that decision, so we are choosing to give it a cultivar name to serve to keep them separate in the interim. Is this clear to you now? By the way, the name ‘Catracho’ is a nickname for the Honduran people. 

Bill Timm’s hybrid of (‘Tiki Torch’ x ‘Druid‘). An upright rosette with stiff, narrow leaves on a caulescent stem to about 6 inches long. The leaves are silvery with a slight blush of red at anthesis. (Red in spite of its yellow ‘Druid’ parent) The flowers are two toned, blue and white with red sepals. A nice plant.

Bill Timm’s hybrid of Tillandsia ionantha ‘Druid’ x ionantha v. vanhyningii, looks pretty much like a large vanhyningii. If this plant had turned out with a yellow blush instead of red, more like the ‘Druid’ parent, then this would have been a show stopper. But alas it isn’t yellow, but it is still a very nice, compact and colorful plant as you can see by the photo. 

A handsome, fairly large growing hybrid by Bill Timm is an unusual cross of (capitata domingensis x dasyliriifolia). The plants are leafy, with fairly narrow leaves tapering from about .75 of an inch to a slender point. The color is reddish, and becomes deeper colored in strong light.

The inflorescence is very tall with many branches held upright to the rachis, deep burgundy red with red bracts. Produces many offsets. Quite showy.

This plant is from Bak nurseries in Holland but it does not, apparently, have a registered name. Too bad because it is a beauty. A fairly large size grower to about a foot tall with a 20 inch spread of channeled, silvery leaves tapering from about a half inch wide to a slender tip. Very graceful in aspect with a soft, velvety quality but sturdy nonetheless. The inflorescence is a branched scape just longer than the leaves, erect with four or five branches held upright in a cluster. The color is greenish yellow to orange-red, depending somewhat on the light, the brighter the more colorful in most cases. Easy to grow under typical Tillandsia conditions, offsets well after blooming.

A hybrid of (fasciculata x ionantha) made by the late Luis Ariza, well known bromeliad hybridist from the Dominican Republic. This same cross is also known as nidus and ’Fortin Jalapa’ as it has both been crossed by others and is often found occurring naturally wherever both parent species live together. This one was allegedly made with one of the small growing clones of fasciculata native to the D.R. 

A colorful hybrid of (capitata ‘Red’ x concolor ‘Cuicatlan’) by Bill Timm. Bill has been a prolific hybridizer of Tillandsias, creating quite a few unique crosses. This one is a medium sized plant about 12 inches tall when in bloom, with stiff glabrous green leaves in an open rosette shape. The inflorescence is about 6 inches tall with very long, stiff, scape bracts and a cluster of erect yellowish branches. The scape bracts and upper whorl or two of leaves blush deep reddish at anthesis. A colorful plant that will grow easily and add color to your collection. 

A nice cross of T. (chiapensis x fasciculata) with stiff trichome-covered grayish-green leaves. The inflorescence is in the shape of a fasciculata and branched but light pink in color like the chiapensis bloom.

A hybrid of (fasciculata (Mexico) x flabellata ‘Giant Red’) showing influence of both parents. A silvery-gray rosette of stiff, half-inch, tapering leaves in an open, arching rosette with an inflorescence of slender, upright, dark red branches. A showy, long-lasting beauty. 

Something really special. This hybrid of (chiapensis x capitata ‘Red’) by Steve Correale is a jewel, with many characteristics of both parents, but favoring the chiapensis side. Broad, channeled leaves recurve in a graceful rosette to almost 12 inches across.

The inflorescence is a scape to about 4 inches long, with long scape bracts and a cluster of erect, pink branches. Long lasting in bloom, it blushes a pinkish-peach color under the abundant silvery trichomes. 

Mark Dimmit’s hybrid of the same grex as ‘Houston’, a (stricta x recurvifolia) cross. Larger than either parent, it has many silvery, semi-soft leaves in a full 8 inch rosette. The large semi-pendant inflorescence has bright rose-red bracts. A very showy plant!