An interesting Mexican lithophytic species from Oaxaca where it lives in very arid conditions on rock outcrops. The leaves are very stiff, almost needle-like, about 18 inches long. The habit is like that of Till. juncea, but the foliage is much more robust. Related to T. rodrigueziana.

A Mexican plant with very stiff leaves in an open rosette of 6 to 8 inches. The leaves are yellowish, blushing reddish in strong light or full sun and it produces a shiny red to yellow-green, branched inflorescence with pink flowers. Easy to grow, preferring conditions on the bright and dry side. Can be suspended from a string or mounted on wood, cork, stone or other substrate. Suitable for dry terrarium use.

This attractive Mark Dimmit hybrid is a cultivar of (stricta x gardneri). Grows to about 8 inches across with many rather narrow, soft, silvery leaves. The inflorescence has pink bracts. An easy to grow plant that is also a good pupper. 

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

A Guatemalan species to about 8 x 10 inches with lovely thick silvery leaves, a bright red, cylindrical, simple spike and purple flowers. Nice for mounting. Considered an endangered species, is rather rare in nature, but very commonly cultivated. Especially easy to grow, a confidence builder for beginners.

Many years ago I acquired my first specimen of this fine Tillandsia from Fred Fuchs, famed orchid collector and explorer, and never dreamed that I would ever see it growing wild. Years later our explorations took us to the arid scrub forests of western Ecuador and northern Peru where this plant was abundant, often in the crowns of towering Bombax trees.

A beautiful species with rather thin, very dark gray, stiff, almost brittle leaves in a symmetrical open rosette that can reach 18 inches across.

The inflorescence, a tall spike with a cluster of short branches, develops slowly, becoming vivid lacquer red and lasting in color for months.

This is a very odd hybrid that doesn’t much resemble either parent. Assuming that the reported cross is correct, the plant does not have the thick leaves of either parent, the long stem or curled leaves of duratii or an inflorescence resembling either parent in any way. The flowers are large, spreading and light blue, borne on a tall scape with green bracts. The foliage is silvery, stiff, straight and forms a leafy rosette. Whether this hybrid is correctly identified remains a question, at least to me, but does not take away from the fact that this is a handsome plant.

An apparent natural hybrid from Mexico of (brachycaulos x paucifolia) as identified by Harry Luther. After acquiring the plant, Bill Timm made a note to ‘Ask Harry’ and I guess the name stuck. Wouldn’t have been my pick, but it is what it is. Anyway, this is a handsome little plant in an upright vase shape of stiff, deeply channeled leaves that are reddish with light silver banding. The inflorescence is fairly short, may or may not branch and is pink with blue flowers. Showy plants. 

This taxon was treated as a synonym of T. juncea by Mez 1935 and S&D in 1977 but the name persists. This name continues to be used by Guatemalan growers and others for the nursery trade for a small, green form with longish stolons. It could be treated as a form of T. juncea not a species in its own right but is best treated as a cultivar ‘Juncifolia’

A hybrid of (brachycaulos x schiedeana). Upright to 10 inches, it has rather narrow leaves and an attenuated inflorescence that forms a tightly capitate head. A late-spring bloomer, with rosy-blushing silvery leaves and yellow flowers. This is a very interesting and different-looking plant. 

A hybrid of (capitata x streptophylla). An extraordinary beauty that takes on a bulbous shape with wide, recurving, curling leaves coated with silvery scurf.

The inflorescence is fairly short with long, curling scape bracts and a tightly clustered head of red branches and light blue flowers. The whole plant takes on a reddish-peach blush at anthesis. A choice plant. 

A hybrid reported to be a cross of (durangensis x seleriana) by Bill Timm. We grew these from seedlings given to us by Bill. The plants have an open rosette shape of fairly broad, recurving, silvery leaves that can reach almost 20 inches across. 

The inflorescence can reach about 12 inches tall with very long, stiff, leaf-like red bracts. Many short, red branches point upwards from between the bracts and will produce tubular purple-blue flowers.

Honestly we cannot see either parent in the cross, but the plant has been registered and does match the photo in the registry.

This hybrid by Bill Timm is a cultivar of (chiapensis x roland-gosselinii). One of those ‘dream crosses’ using two fantastic plants as parents and getting stunning results. The hybrid is right down the line between the two, taking on the silver leaves and inflorescence shape of the chiapensis parent and the size, and inflorescence coloration closer to the roland-gosselinii parent. Reaching a full 30 inches across, the plant is impressive for size alone, but can also stay in bloom for months. A great plant.