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 PLANT IS ON C.I.T.E.S. AND CANNOT BE EXPORTED

This cross of xerographica x brachycaulos has been made before and at least one clone is registered as “Betty.”  This plant, however, is not the same, though of course, you’d expect similarities.  Our clone most closely resembles the xerographica parent in the foliage, with broad, channeled, fairly stiff, curling, silvery leaves.  The inflorescence is tall with many upright greenish branches and long scape bracts that blush slightly red at anthesis.  A nice large showy plant!

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.

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 spectacular, large, red-bracted cultivar of ‘Houston‘ (stricta x recurvifolia) a popular Mark Dimmitt hybrid. A very leafy 8 inch, gray-green rosette, with a large, full inflorescence of bright red bracts and flaring white flowers. 

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 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 hybrid by Mark Dimmitt, named and registered by Bill Timm. This clone of (concolor x streptophylla) is one of our favorites! It has a somewhat bulbous base and leaves that recurve downward in a sweeping arc. The leaves are stiffer than streptophylla and more lepidote than concolor. The inflorescence is shaped like concolor, but fuller, lanceolate and branched, pink with silver dusting. 

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. 

It’s hard to improve on Tillandsia brachycaulos, a pretty, easy to grow, green plant that blushes bright red when in bloom. But, growers are always looking for something better or at least different, and this clone has been judged to be ‘brighter red’ with noticeably narrower leaves. Whether it is better than the original or typical clone is a matter of conjecture and more to the point, in the eye of the beholder, but anyway it is a nice little show plant worthy of space in your collection.

This species from Oaxaca, Mexico is nothing short of spectacular in nature where it grows in large colonies in the tops of seaside thorn-scrub forest. Brilliant orange-red is the most common color with vivid yellow inflorescences shining in full sun.

Full sun or bright light along with reducing watering during the dry season and reducing the amount of fertilizer may help duplicate its harsh native environment and bring out stronger colors. Does not like cold! Keep warm at all times if possible.