A fairly rare plant in cultivation is a denizen of inland forests in the northern Mexican states of Sinaloa and Sonora. This plant is hummingbird pollinated and has a branched pink scape with tubular flowers. The plant is about 6 inches tall with somewhat stiff, silvery leaves in an upright rosette.

The hybrid of (baileyi x ionantha) is both a hybrid by Mulford Foster and also occurs naturally in northern Mexico. Normally a cute miniature with short, 3 inch leaves in an upright, somewhat bottle-shaped rosette. This form is much larger, about double, and came from a wild collection in Tamaulipas, Mexico (SEL79-0005A) a number of years ago. Like the ‘normal form’ this one has an inflorescence that is a short simple scape with purple flowers and a reddish flush that extends to the upper leaves. This is just a more robust form.

A handsome, slender growing, clump forming species from Rio Grande do Sul state in southern Brazil. Described by Prof. Dr. Werner Rauh in 1984. A lithophyte, growing with several species of cacti, orchids and other bromeliad species. The foliage is silvery-lepidote, slender, in a loose upright rosette with an inflorescence about a long as the leaves, un-branched, with light red bracts and open white flowers.

Individual plants reach about 8 inches tall.