A colorful hybrid of (capitata ‘Red’ x concolor ‘Cuicatlan’) by Bill Timm. Bill has been a prolific hybridizer of Tillandsias, creating quite a few unique crosses. This one is a medium sized plant about 12 inches tall when in bloom, with stiff glabrous green leaves in an open rosette shape. The inflorescence is about 6 inches tall with very long, stiff, scape bracts and a cluster of erect yellowish branches. The scape bracts and upper whorl or two of leaves blush deep reddish at anthesis. A colorful plant that will grow easily and add color to your collection. 

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!

A John Arden hybrid of (jalisco-monticola x capitata). A tough and showy plant with leathery reddish leaves in a symmetrical, very leafy rosette. The inflorescence is a tight cluster of many dark orange branches in a capitate head with long scape bracts exceeding the branches. Very long lasting in color. A heavy plant, tough and sturdy, easy to grow. Grows well mounted or potted in a fast draining mix with good aeration. 

This is a plant that has been in our collection for some time without a positive identification. We had obtained this plant originally as Til. pucarensis to which it certainly has some resemblance, but it is somewhat larger, leafier and has a larger and more heavily branched inflorescence.

We have shared pieces of this plant with others familiar with the species and all agree that pucarensis is not a good fit. However there is no other species which seems a good fit either. We now suspect that this may be a natural hybrid, perhaps between pucarensis and the small form of floribunda, but it cannot be known for sure. Therefore we have chosen to give it a cultivar name in order to keep track of it in a less confusing way.

Steve Correale’s cross of (capitata (red form) x streptophylla) bears some resemblance to both parent plants, but is definitely not to be confused with either. The foliage is rather soft but heavy, silvery-pink with trichomes and forming a bulbous based, open rosette with recurving leaves.

The inflorescence reaches almost 18 inches and has short silvery branches and large blue flowers, and has many long, leaf-like, pink, scape bracts as well. A choice plant named after Steve’s granddaughter. 

A natural hybrid of (flexuosa x funckiana) that we collected in Venezuela in the late 1990’s. This plant is from a completely different area than the one described by Gouda in 2002, but it likely would be considered the same taxa. Our plant is from the state of Carabobo on the old road from Valencia to Puerto Cabello, a long distance from the Merida locality of the other. We found ours growing on a rock, in light forest in partial shade. The Tillandsia flexuosa and funckiana in this area are quite different looking than the ones near Merida which is much higher in altitude and much drier.

An interesting plant with long, stiff leaves along a caulescent stem, silvery green in color, clump forming. The inflorescence is a thin scape no higher than the foliage, with large flowers of deep rose red that are tubular with flaring petals that recurve at the tips. A very interesting plant that leaves no doubt about its hybrid origins.

A rare, smaller relative of Tillandsia fasciculata from Jamaica, although our specimen sourced from the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (SEL 1986-0480) came from the Dominican Republic via Luis Ariza-Julia. It is unknown where he got the plant. Very narrow, silvery-gray leaves in an upright rosette to about 7 to 8 inches with a multi-branched inflorescence of bright red with light blue flowers. A very attractive, rare, small species.

This is a very nice plant that we collected in back in the 1990’s near El Cameron, Oaxaca, Mexico at an altitude of 4,600 feet. It was an obvious hybrid and the only possible parents were both growing in the same area; T. fasciculata ‘Lithophytic Form’ and ionantha v. stricta.

The plant was a single clump of three plants growing lithophytically (see photo taken in the wild) and we took the larger plant. Over the years this plant has developed into a real beauty, similar to ‘Nidus’ (another fasciculata x ionantha hybrid from Veracruz) but distinctly different. 

It has soft but firm leaves in an upright rosette, somewhat caulescent, about 12 inches long, with a short scape with clustered branches that rises about two to three inches. The bracts are red and flowers blue. The foliage blushes red but the scurf on the leaves make them appear pink. No cultural problems under ‘normal’ Tillandsia culture.

A hybrid of (stricta x edithae) by Margaret Patterson. This is one of those rare kinds of hybrids that when you see it bloom for the first time, you can't believe how stunning and unique it is. A very leafy, full rosette of many fairly stiff leaves that are dark silvery gray and fairly lepidote. The inflorescence is outstanding, brilliant red bracts in a cylindrical inflorescence with dark purple flowers. A gem. 

An interesting species from Bahia, Brazil where it grows on exposed rock. Upright growing with narrow, 8 inch long leaves on a caulescent stem. The inflorescence is an erect spike, slightly taller than the foliage, terminating with a cluster of pink bracts and white flowers. A mature plant in bloom can reach 16 inches tall and 8 inches wide. Our plant is descended directly from the type collection by Elton Leme.

A natural hybrid of (ehlersiana x streptophylla) from Chiapas, Mexico. There are those that believe that T. ehlersiana is itself a hybrid, so it is not surprising that it would hybridize with other plants sharing the same habitat. This plant looks like an ehlersiana in general aspect, a fat-bottomed beauty with wider, contorted, deeply channeled leaves, silvery all over with a more open, pretty pink inflorescence. 

Jim Irvin’s cultivar of (ionantha v. vanhyningi x caputmedusae ‘Red form’) shows some characteristics of both parents. Overall it is most similar to the caput-medusae parent with a somewhat bulbous base and narrow leaves flaring outward. The leaves are semi-terete but do not contort like caput-medusae often does. 

The ionantha v. vanhyningii aspect comes through in the inflorescence which is a short scape of tight branches and rosy red bracts. At anthesis the upper leaves blush reddish and in bright light they can be reddish most of the time.