A hybrid of Tillandsia aeranthos x gardneri. Fairly stiff, silvery-green leaves in a full 8 inch rosette. Pretty pink floral bracts. Easy to grow and prolific.

A lovely, robust hybrid by Jim Irvin is a cultivar of (limbata x bulbosa).  Most closely resembling the bulbosa parent with a bulbous base, glossy leaves, and a branched, red inflorescence, it does differ though in some aspects.  The plant is larger than bulbosa, growing to about 12 inches tall with upright, terete leaves that are glossy or nearly lacking visible trichomes.  The color is green overall until anthesis. 

The inflorescence is tall with multiple branches which are long and slender (more so than bulbosa) and bright red in color.  The foliage will blush slightly bronzy-reddish at anthesis and in stronger light.  A vigorous grower that produces more offsets than the bulbosa parent, forming nice clusters in a relatively short time. 

A nice looking plant with bulbous base and terete leaves that curve gracefully downward. A cultivar of (intermedia x caputmedusae) by noted Tillandsia breeder Mark Dimmitt and named by Paul Isley. 

The foliage is silvery and the inflorescence; multi-branched, bright red with purple flowers, is long lasting a showy. Forms clusters of plants in time and is especially easy to grow.

Bill Timm’s hybrid is a cultivar of (caputmedusae x streptophylla). Most definitely a hybrid, but showing little influence of the streptophylla parent. It has a bulbous base and terete leaves but they are not as curly as caputmedusae or streptophylla or hardly at all. The inflorescence is tall with upright branches that are slender and glabrous, mainly orange in color. A truly handsome plant that is easy to cultivate. 

A spectacular hybrid by Steve Correale is a cultivar of chiapensis x botterii.  A large grower with a loose rosette shape that can reach 30 inches across and 20 inches tall.  The leaves are thick and leathery, heavily scurfed with silver trichomes, silvery but tinting pink in strong light.  The inflorescence can be 30 inches tall with long, thick, upright and curving branches of pink.  Bizarre and different but also beautiful. 

*VIPP plants are Offsets

An early hybrid (1960’s) by Charles Wiley is a cultivar of (seleriana x bulbosa). The cross was made in Eastern Germany and is a relic of the Cold War era. Aside from this, the plant is a handsome combination of both parents. More bulbosa-like it is however stouter with more leaves and has a slight scurff unlike the bulbosa parent. The inflorescence is a short rachis with red branches and a corresponding blush in the upper leaves at anthesis. 

This is a natural hybrid apparently of (ionantha x fasciculata ‘Hondurensis’) that came from Honduras and was given to Bill Timm some years ago. Later Bill gave us a piece back with the name ‘Veronica’s Gift’ on it. It took quite a while to propagate enough to release them.

It is a handsome plant with many silvery, semi-stiff leaves in a full, vase shaped rosette. Unusual for an ionantha hybrid, it does not blush in the center at anthesis but rather produces a short cluster of pinkish branches and blue flowers. A very nice plant that has proven easy to cultivate under typical conditions afforded our Tillandsias.

Something really special. This hybrid of (chiapensis x capitata ‘Red’) by Steve Correale is a jewel, with many characteristics of both parents, but favoring the chiapensis side. Broad, channeled leaves recurve in a graceful rosette to almost 12 inches across.

The inflorescence is a scape to about 4 inches long, with long scape bracts and a cluster of erect, pink branches. Long lasting in bloom, it blushes a pinkish-peach color under the abundant silvery trichomes. 

A Mexican form of ionantha with the same unique characteristics as the more familiar ‘Zebrina’; that of having even breaks in the trichomes, forming a decorative banded pattern. The ‘Zebrina’ looks to be a Guatemalan form of ionantha, differing only slightly from this form. The Mexican form differs mainly in blushing much brighter red at anthesis. We found this plant when splitting a group of Mexican ionanthas quite some years ago and have propagated them since. The name is inspired by the Zebra painted donkeys used by street photographers in Tijuana.

A hybrid of (bulbosa x streptophylla) by Mark Dimmitt. This interesting plant could be described as a larger bulbosa-type plant with broader, more twisted leaves. Or, as a streptophylla-type plant with shiny and deeply channeled leaves. In other words, a good split of characteristics of both parents.

This hybrid is sometimes found as a natural cross in Guatemala. Grows well mounted, easily forming large clusters of plants. 

A large growing species from the area where the Rio Marabasco separates the Mexican states of Jalisco and Colima, an area of rugged mountains and rocky canyons.  This species is mostly found growing in full sun, mainly on the ground in open scrub among deciduous shrubs and small trees.  A large species that can reach about 24 inches tall and when in bloom, over six feet tall! This clone, however stays much smaller in size.

In cultivation, a three foot tall plant in bloom is much more typical. The foliage is silvery-grey in an upright, vase shaped rosette. The inflorescence is a very tall scape with many slender, upright branches of yellow with light reddish borders to the bracts.  Flowers are tubular, whitish, light lavender. A rare species discovered by Renate Ehlers in 1991.

This cross was genius, or maybe dumb luck, but at any rate it ended up fantastic. A cross of (fasciculata x flagellata) by Chester Skotak, it blends two of the best Tillandsias out there. Ecuadorean T. flagellata is itself a gem, with many narrow, soft leaves in a gracefully arching rosette. The inflorescence is brilliant red. This hybrid takes all the best of that species and blends it with the vigor of fasciculata and the robust bloom of both. Beautiful but slow, but like all good things, worth waiting for.