Tillandsia 'Pink Sensation' (streptophylla x brachycaulos)

A form of the widely variable species from Brazil that has reddish-coppery leaves in a very leafy, somewhat caulescent rosette. The plants form clusters with many offsets. The inflorescence has reddish bracts and white flowers with an open corolla.

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.

Tillandsia 'Fiesta' is a pretty cross of streptophylla x caputmedusa.

This species native to medium to high altitudes in semi-arid scrub in Ecuador and northern Peru is in my opinion a new taxa. As an epiphyte or saxicole, it is consistently a smallish plant with slender, gray leaves to about 8 inches tall in a leafy, upright rosette. The inflorescence is on a tall, slender scape and consists of a cluster of light red branches with blue flowers.

The controversial side of this species is that it also can be found as a really much larger growing plant with an open rosette of very stiff leaves and a much more robust, bright red inflorescence. Similar, but very different in size and appearance. You never find plants in between these extremes and the two ‘forms’ are often found growing together. I believe that this smaller form is a different species or at least a distinct form or subspecies.

Anyway, this is still a showy plant and easy to cultivate but still enjoys cooler temps and pure water if available. That said, we have successfully cultivated this plant here in Florida for over 20 years.

A very nice species from Central America that for years went in the trade as paucifolia (or circinnata) 'Pink Form', that is until it was given scientific treatment and was declared a new species in its own right. Bulbous based with twisting, terete leaves and a nice clear pink inflorescence, this is an easy to grow, colorful, must have species for all Tillandsia lovers.

A clone of (seleriana x tricolor) by Bill Timm. A unusual hybrid that produces a bulbous base with upright, terete leaves dusted with silvery trichomes. The inflorescence is branched, rose-red with blue flowers and emerges from the leaves to one side of the rosette.