A hybrid of brachycaulos x ionantha. A 5 inch plant with leaves in an upright rosette, flushing bright red when in bloom. Many purple flowers are borne on a short scape. An excellent, easy to grow plant that was hybridized back in the 1950’s by Mulford Foster, but that also occurs naturally in Mexico.

A cultivar of (ionantha v. vanhyningii x ionantha ‘Druid’) by Bill Timm. A plant that can resemble the ionantha v. vanhyningii parent with thick leaves on a caulescent stem or can be more upright. The leaves blush reddish with blue flowers at anthesis. A nice hybrid that forms clusters of plants. 

A natural hybrid of (caputmedusae x limbata) from Guatemala. At about 12 to 18 inches, it is larger than caputmedusae but smaller than limbata. It has fairly wide, long and tapering silvery leaves that curl at the tips. A slightly bulbous base and upright growth, eventually producing a lovely red inflorescence that rises above the foliage with an upright cluster of branches. Quite attractive and long lasting in bloom. Does great mounted and will form clusters of plants.

A showy hybrid of (capitata ‘Red’ x ionantha v. stricta) by Bill Timm. A nice plant about 6 to 8 inches tall that strongly resembles the ionantha parent with many narrow leaves in an upright, flaring, rosette. Green until blooming, when it blushes bright red.

A hybrid of (mallemontii x duratii) by M. Patterson in Australia, it’s a pretty good combination of the two parents. Tillandsia duratii is a robust plant with a long stem and curling leaves, rootless in the adult form and producing a long, branched inflorescence with fragrant purple flowers. Tillandsia mallemontii is a plant with fine leaves, forming a tangled ball with many plants. The slender inflorescence is un-branched and produces a large, fragrant, purple flower. 

The hybrid ‘Wonga’ looks more like a skinny duratii with many curly leaves and a long, branching inflorescence. The stunning thing though is that the flowers of both parents are very fragrant and those of ‘Wonga’ are not!