This is a giant form of Tillandsia pruinosa from Colombia. It is like the smaller or regular forms except that it is larger and does not color up at anthesis as some forms do. It grows to nearly 12 inches tall with a thick base. It might resemble a slightly more slender Tillandsia seleriana due to its size but is a pruinosa for sure. Up right leaves and a bulbous base, all covered with heavy trichomes. Nice.

A hybrid of (mallemontii x duratii) by M. Patterson in Australia, it’s a pretty good combination of the two parents. Tillandsia duratii is a robust plant with a long stem and curling leaves, rootless in the adult form and producing a long, branched inflorescence with fragrant purple flowers. Tillandsia mallemontii is a plant with fine leaves, forming a tangled ball with many plants. The slender inflorescence is un-branched and produces a large, fragrant, purple flower. 

The hybrid ‘Wonga’ looks more like a skinny duratii with many curly leaves and a long, branching inflorescence. The stunning thing though is that the flowers of both parents are very fragrant and those of ‘Wonga’ are not!

Bill Timm’s hybrid of Tillandsia ionantha ‘Druid’ x ionantha v. vanhyningii, looks pretty much like a large vanhyningii. If this plant had turned out with a yellow blush instead of red, more like the ‘Druid’ parent, then this would have been a show stopper. But alas it isn’t yellow, but it is still a very nice, compact and colorful plant as you can see by the photo. 

A unique yellow-blushing clone of Tillandsia ionantha with white flowers. When in bloom, the whole top of the plant turns a bright golden yellow instead of red. A beautiful sight! Found amongst plants imported from Veracruz, Mexico by Drew Schulz and later named ‘Druid’ by her husband in her honor, adding a twist of mystery as well.

Easy to grow as the ‘normal’ form and thus far, completely stable.

Bill Timm’s hybrid of (‘Tiki Torch’ x ‘Druid‘). An upright rosette with stiff, narrow leaves on a caulescent stem to about 6 inches long. The leaves are silvery with a slight blush of red at anthesis. (Red in spite of its yellow ‘Druid’ parent) The flowers are two toned, blue and white with red sepals. A nice plant.

Paul Isley's cross 'Kendra' is a cultivar of bulbosa x baileyi. A vigorous hybrid that looks a bit like the baileyi parent but is much larger and more robust. The bulbous base is like that of the bulbosa and the terete leaves are silvery and sinuous. The inflorescence is quite tall, at least as long as the leaves and it branched, pinkish, with a silvery finish. Grows to about 18 inches tall, taller than either parent plant. 

This plant and another similar lithophytic plant from Temascal, Veracruz, Mexico both strongly resemble the ‘true’ Tillandsia capitata from Cuba. This plant comes from a drier part of Chiapas, a state in S.W. Mexico, differs in that it is lighter in color, covered with a layer of silvery trichomes. At anthesis, it blushes pink on the upper leaves. The flowers are deep blue and tightly tubular in shape. The true capitata species has as yet not been officially recognized from the mainland, being currently known only from Cuba and Hispaniola.

A nice hybrid of stricta x leonamiana 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!

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 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