A small upright, stoloniferous species who’s chief value is as a botanical because it lacks many decorative qualities. However, I and many others feel that a species plant doesn't have to be beautiful to be appreciated, and that little plants like this have their own charm. Makes a decorative cluster, good for hanging pot culture.

*VIPP plants are Offsets

A variety of T. mima from the area of Rio Jequetepeque in the Department of Cajamarca, Peru that was discovered by Prof. Dr. Werner Rauh and published in 1977. A saxicole in nature, it has extremely heavy, wire-like roots for holding fast to rocks. Differing from the other typical forms of mima in having narrow foliage, many leaves and a smaller size of only about 24 inches maximum and usually smaller. Like the other forms, produces adventitious offsets at the base and this form also produces them on the inflorescence as well.

The inflorescence is quite tall, over 3 feet, tripinnate and bearing dark violet flowers. Our plants came from Dr. Rauh many years ago. We find this species hardy but very slow growing.

This plant and another similar lithophytic plant from Temascal, Veracruz, Mexico both strongly resemble the ‘true’ Tillandsia capitata from Cuba. This plant comes from a drier part of Chiapas, a state in S.W. Mexico, differs in that it is lighter in color, covered with a layer of silvery trichomes. At anthesis, it blushes pink on the upper leaves. The flowers are deep blue and tightly tubular in shape. The true capitata species has as yet not been officially recognized from the mainland, being currently known only from Cuba and Hispaniola.

This hybrid by Bill Timm is a cultivar of (capitata ‘Domingensis’ x ‘Casallena’). A medium to large plant with an upright, flaring vase shape. The leaves are long and taper from about a half inch wide to a slender tip and are green with a somewhat blotchy purple veneer, coated with silver trichomes.

The inflorescence is taller than the leaves with long, leaf-like scape bracts and a large cluster of glossy, deep red braches held upright, and dark blue flowers. An handsome plant!

A lithophytic Tillandsia species from the vicinity of El Tule, Oaxaca, Mexico at about 5,300 feet of altitude. Considered a distinct variety of the Tillandsia mitlaensis from near the same area. That form is more of a fasciculate, stemless lithophyte while the variety tulensis is distinctly caulescent. The leaves narrower and smaller than the typical species, with appressed silvery-white scales as opposed to dense pruinose scales of the typical form.

The inflorescence is simple, erect, about six inches long with pink bracts and tubular purple flowers. Easy to grow under typical Tillandsia cultural conditions.

A nice little hybrid that is as yet unnamed, but still nice. A very full 12 inch rosette of half-inch wide, discolor leaves, green on top and purple below. The inflorescence, which is about 20 inches tall, is lance-shaped and light yellow. Nice for small space shaded gardens or terrariums.

***NO EXPORT - MINOR DAMAGE ON PLANT WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION***

An Australian hybrid of (concolor x ionantha) by Margaret Paterson. A robust plant with many stiff, pointed leaves in an 8 to 10 inch rosette. The leaf color is light green with a dusting of silvery trichomes. There is no color blush at anthesis in spite of the ionantha parentage, but rather it produces a very short but very full and branchy inflorescence with red bracts and bluish-purple flowers.

A choice, easy to cultivate plant. 

Something of a mystery. We had this plant for years labeled as (ionantha x brachycaulos) which is the opposite cross of ‘Victoria‘ but it was quite different looking. Recently we examined this plant in bloom more closely and it appears that it is more likely a hybrid of (ionantha x caput-medusae) based on the leaf texture and inflorescence structure. Possibly a natural hybrid, it superficially resembles a giant ionantha to about 8 inches tall, with stiff, silvery leaves arranged in a recurving upright vase shape. The inflorescence is a short pink scape with blue flowers nested in the center. The whole plant blushes slightly reddish when in bloom. 

This hybrid by Bill Timm is a cultivar of (chiapensis x roland-gosselinii). One of those ‘dream crosses’ using two fantastic plants as parents and getting stunning results. The hybrid is right down the line between the two, taking on the silver leaves and inflorescence shape of the chiapensis parent and the size, and inflorescence coloration closer to the roland-gosselinii parent. Reaching a full 30 inches across, the plant is impressive for size alone, but can also stay in bloom for months. A great plant. 

A species with long very thin, grassy leaves, that are stiff, succulent and form a spreading, funnelform rosette. Closely resembling Tillandsia hammeri, it differs in being larger, more spreading, less silvery and stoloniferous. The inflorescence has more and wider branches but is more compact and taller, among other differences. Native to limestone outcrops near Nizanda, Oaxaca, Mexico, it was first collected by Ehlers and only described in 2016. The many leaves form an upright rosette to nearly two feet tall with an erect inflorescence of pink bracts and deep violet flowers.