This is the proliferating form of secunda from the area north of Quito, Ecuador. A large growing plant with silvery-green leaves in an upright rosette, which when in bloom produces its offsets on its inflorescence. The inflorescence is tall and branched, up to 3 feet or so, and usually bright red in color, and the adventitious offsets are produced at almost every internode. In nature it grows on the ground on rocky slopes in full sun. Popular with collectors, it is usually grown potted to gain size and vigor.

We collected just one of these plants back in the 1990’s in Sumidero Canyon, Chiapas, Mexico where it lives on vertical cliffs along with other interesting species like T. vanhynningii. Since then we nursed it along until we built up a still very small stock. This is a choice plant with an open rosette of many very stiff, narrow, silvery leaves and a lax inflorescence of pink branches. Very slow growing, but worth the wait.

A caulescent Peruvian plant that is quite different from other forms of this species. A stem that can reach several feet long, is covered with, 3 inch silvery leaves. A simple 12 inch or larger spike bears large deep purple flowers. An attractive plant that grows fast and produces numerous offsets from the base of the old bloom spike. This form doesn’t make roots.

A beautiful and dramatic looking species from a variety of habitats in Mexico and Central America into parts of the Caribbean.  Coastal habitats are preferred and this plant can often be found growing in mangroves or in very exposed locations in other open wooded habitats.  In nature it forms very large clusters and is sometimes inhabited by ants which take advantage of its bulbous base for housing. 

A striking plant that forms a turnip shaped and sized base of broad succulent leaves which hang down in curls.  the curliness of the leaves depends somewhat on the moisture content, becoming more curly as the plant dries out.  The leaves are coated with silvery trichomes and is quite attractive even when not in bloom.  The inflorescence is taller by more than double the base of the plant and the scape has long, curly, leaf-like bracts. Pink branches top the spike and produce purplish-blue flowers at anthesis. The color lasts for a long time and in good light, the inflorescence and some of the upper leaves of the plant can blush reddish. 

A choice plant that should be in every collection.  Easy to grow, mount or hang from a string ‘cradle’, water often and feed well to grow this plant to an impressive size.

An all-time favorite from Brazil is about 6 inches across in a leafy rosette with stiff gray-green leaves. It produces a stunning blue-flowered, plume-shaped pink inflorescence in the summer. In nature this plant can be found growing on the restinga sands of beach dunes and in trees in the foothills of the Atlantic Range in Brazil.

Tillandsia stricta The soft-leaved form from Brazil. Mature at about 3 to 4in, has fine green to reddish-tinted leaves and will flower with vivid rose-pink bracts and blue flowers.

A nice hybrid with silvery-white leaves in a full rosette that can reach 10 inches across in larger specimens. The inflorescence is fairly stricta-like, about 6 inches long and nodding. The bracts are bright pink frosted with silver on the tips. A choice plant that needs a good name.

This is a cross that came to us under formula without any specified hybridizer. We are therefore taking this one at ‘face value’ so to speak. A leafy, upright, funnel form rosette of fairly narrow, semi-stiff, gray green leaves that tint dark reddish in strong light.

The inflorescence is pink and forms a scape with tight branches bearing white flowers. Long lasting in color. As yet not named.

This is a superior clone of the species that has been grown in cultivation from seed! This is a long and arduous process for any Tillandsia and especially such relatively slow species as these. A species supremely adapted to the harsh climate of the nearly rain free canyons of interior southern Ecuador and northern Peru.

The plants, resembling cotton candy, are covered with a heavy coat of silver trichomes giving them an otherworldly appearance. In nature the plants use their trichomes to capture minute amounts of moisture from dew and frequent fogs which provide their major source moisture.

The inflorescence is a spike with a cluster of pink branches and blue flowers. After blooming the plants produce a cluster of offsets at the base of the inflorescence. The plants require bright light, good air movement and little watering in cultivation. Maintain in bright light up to full sun, watering weekly is good but the plants must dry quickly. Do not allow them to remain wet for extended periods. 

A robust form of this caulescent species from Brazil grows to about 8 inches long but can exceed 12 inches. Stiff, reddish leaves make this a handsome species and it easily forms large clusters. The inflorescence has pink bracts and white flowers. Both an epiphyte and lithophyte in habitat, it does well mounted or simply suspended from a string or wire.

This plant has not yet been published but has been in cultivation for a while under the name of Tillandsia cocoensis.

In correspondence with Eric Gouda he says that this plant is most likely a form of T. tenuifolia and will likely be published as T. tenuifolia var. cocoensis by Renate Ehlers, hopefully in the near future. It was discovered growing on the cliffs of Morro do Coco in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil where it forms mats of plants with procumbent stems and stiff, silvery leaves. The flowers are slightly violet-white, borne on a short red scape with bright red bracts.

A cute and easy to grow species that blooms faithfully. Our plants came originally from the collection of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens with the accession number of SEL91-0099A.