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 large growing select clone of this species from Andy Siekkinen. A large grower to 40 inches overall, with an upright habit. Tall, graceful leaves and a tall red-orange scape with long, narrow yellow branches. Quite the impressive specimen from Hidalgo, Mexico.
A small growing cultivar of Tillandsia ionantha named by Paul Isley. Similar to the species Tillandsia ionanthav. strictaformafastigiata that is often sold as 'Peanut’ but has a different shape. Enanois tiny, about an inch tall, the leaves are upright and flare at the top. The color is bright green when not in bloom but blushes bright cherry red at anthesis. There is a dusting of silver trichomes, but they are much reduced from other typical varieties. It will form nice tight clusters of many plants in just a few years.
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.
