This Guatemalan plant is a living pincushion. A marble-sized plant, with 2 inch long, needle-fine leaves and a 6 inch tall inflorescence of orange with blue flowers. Easily grown in a breezy spot, mounted. Will form little clusters. This species was commonly known as Til. argentina ‘fine leaf‘ but this name is not valid.

A giant form of concolor from Mexico with the same general characteristics as the typical form, but reaching nearly a foot across. A desert dweller with a restricted range, it can be seen growing on cacti and Acacia in the extremely harsh country near Cuicatlan, Oaxaca. Stiff yellowish-green foliage tints reddish in the sun, and a shiny multiple branched spike of yellow to red with pink flowers. An outstanding plant.

Note: It is suggested by the BSI that this is a natural hybrid of unknown parentage. I doubt that. The plants are abundant in habitat but of limited range and they vary little. I believe that this is just a large and attractive clone or possibly form of the species. The ‘normal’ form does not seem to occur within the range of ‘Cuicatlan‘.

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.

A bulbous plant with a thick base to over an inch, and very stiff, contorted, terete wiry leaves. The plants are gray and slightly striped. The inflorescence is a tall spike with lavender branches. Very colorful in bloom. Great clumping plant, grows well just suspended from a string or wire.

Native to the Andes of Venezuela, this cliff dweller is one of the jewels of the genus. A caulescent plant forming large clumps in just a few years, has fine, needle-like leaves about 3/4 inch long which flush red when blooming. The flower is a single, red, slightly flaring tube. A clump in bloom is a sight to behold! Flowers at various times throughout the warm months. A must for any collection, simply hang from a wire, grow it bright, water and fertilize frequently, allow to dry quickly.

One of the all-time favorite, easy to grow, beautiful Tillandsias, from Chiapas, Mexico. A pinkish-silver plant with wide, leathery, scurfy leaves in a broadly spreading open rosette. Can grow to 18 inches, but usually is much smaller.

The inflorescence, which can last in color for a year, is an inflated, sometimes branched, pink spike. A cliff-dweller from the dramatic canyons of Chiapas, it best kept mounted in bright light, and fed frequently.

This is the same plant in every way as the regular form of the species, except much, much larger. Reaching up to 12 inches in diameter, with stolons of 6 to 8 inches, it is an impressive plant. The many leaves are silvery, with an 8 inch bright red spike with blue flowers. This rare form is restricted to the north central Pacific coast of Ecuador. Grow mounted, bright as with most Tillandsias.  Please note that this species was described as and was considered a Vriesea until the recent DNA studies prompted a realignment to the genus Tillandsia.