If you like Till. aeranthos, you’ll love the variety aemula! Like a giant-growing form of the species, it is a very handsome and hardy plant from Southern Brazil. Somewhat more caulescent than the typical form, it has purplish-tinted foliage on a stem up to 12 inches long. The inflorescence is well exerted, about 6 inches long, with deep rose-colored bracts and deep blue flowers. Forms large clumps eventually, and can be grown mounted or just hanging on a string.

This is a very odd hybrid that doesn’t much resemble either parent. Assuming that the reported cross is correct, the plant does not have the thick leaves of either parent, the long stem or curled leaves of duratii or an inflorescence resembling either parent in any way. The flowers are large, spreading and light blue, borne on a tall scape with green bracts. The foliage is silvery, stiff, straight and forms a leafy rosette. Whether this hybrid is correctly identified remains a question, at least to me, but does not take away from the fact that this is a handsome plant.

A small lithophytic, clustering plant to about 2 inches, with short, stiff and rather succulent, dark gray leaves. Widely flaring, half inch pink flowers are borne on a short scape in small clusters. We’ve seen grapefruit sized clusters of this species growing on rocky cliffs in Bolivia, covered with pink flowers. In cultivation it enjoys growing mounted and kept in bright light with good air circulation. Allow to dry quickly after watering.

A nice hybrid by Jim Irvin that unfortunately he never named nor registered. Using two South American species native to warm to hot arid regions. Tillandsia babuagrandensis is a species with a simple inflorescence of pinkish red from Peru in the region of Bagua Grande in the state of Amazonas and the didisticha is a handsome species from Bolivia and Argentina with a branched pink inflorescence.

The cross has many short, stiff, pointed leaves with a coating of silver trichomes. The inflorescence is a tall spike with on or two upright branches, red with silver trichomes giving it a pinkish coloration. Easy to grow, pups well and does best in bright light, mounted.