Is this a fragrant flowered plant? Honestly, I don't know. It is reported to be though I have never personally been able to detect a scent. Some people can though. At any rate, this Central American native is nice, with needle-fine leaves about 10 to 16 inches long, growing in little tufts. Light green to yellowish, they can blush reddish in strong light. Quarter inch, spreading white flowers are borne on a yellowish, branched inflorescence that is a little shorter than the leaves.

*VIPP clump is massive, with over 100 individual plants growing together and more than 20 years old. We'd like to keep the clump as it is so we are limiting this plant to domestic shipping only.

An impressive large growing plant from the area of Yosondua, Oaxaca, Mexico where it grows terrestrially on exposed rock. It rarely produces roots, but tends to grow in dense clusters, supporting one another or leaning on rocks for support. Superficially, it resembles a giant capitata, with many strappy leaves, gracefully recurving in a 24 to 30 inch silvery rosette.

The inflorescence is quite tall with a capitate head of long bracts and tight branches. In nature the inflorescence is red, hence the name, which means literally 'red head'. However, under our hot, humid, shaded conditions the colors are usually more subdued. This species is rare in cultivation.

A plant of some mystery. Central American forms of concolor are still offered as acostae, as are some forms of fasciculata. In fact, I am not certain that anyone really knows what exactly Tillandsia acostae is. This species is now considered to be rhomboidea, though we also have that species and this one is different in some ways.

Our plants came from Costa Rica many years ago. At the time we showed the plants to Prof. Dr. Werner Rauh who gave us the name. Over the years we have never seen another ‘real’ acostae, and I guess we never will as it is now not recognized. It is a compact, stiff leaved plant with a dark orange, inflorescence with four or more branches that are almost oval in cross section. Rather slow growing but worth the wait!