This Tillandsia came to our collection from the late Bill Soerries collection after his passing in 2013. There are several without names and some that have defied identification. This plant is one of those. It's an obvious hybrid with Til. ionantha, but with what? We don't know for sure. It has a short but branched inflorescence. It does not seem to match anything in the BSI Cultivar Registry.

Tillandsia 'Chickasaw Bill' (Til. ionantha x ?) The name is to honor Bill Soerries, who used to run the famous Chickasaw Club in Columbus, Georgia.

Pending registration. 

A suspected natural hybrid of (aeranthos x bergeri) that turned up in a shipment of bergeri from Argentina many years ago. A caulescent plant with stiff, gray leaves on a 6 inch stem, branching freely and forming large clusters. 

The inflorescence is a 3 to 4 inch long scape with deep rose pink bracts and dark, inky blue flowers. There are other Tillandsias of the same cross, but this one is quite different, deserving its own name.

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. 

A pretty hybrid by John Arden dating back to the 1970's. 

(xiphioides x capitata 'Rubra')

Believe it or not, this glowing green plant appeared in the same grex as the 'Red Robin' with the only difference being it's completely green with not even a hint of red! We have been growing this plant side by side with it's sister, 'Red Robin', for years and have not found any reddening of the leaves to date. It's possible future pups may appear red but there's no way of knowing at this point. We do know this plant has straighter leaves and does not get as curly. It's larger than T. streptophylla, with a bigger bottom and thicker more succulent leaves and heavy trichomes. Very pretty!

Pending registration.

A nautral hybrid of (albida x concolor) named and registered by Bill Timm. This is a real nice hybrid that shows characteristics of both parent plants. The foliage is silvery, in an open rosette with leaves that recurve and twist. It is not caulescent like albida. The inflorescence resembles the concolor parent with yellowish branches in upright candelabra form, and pink flowers. 

A John Arden hybrid of (jalisco-monticola x capitata). A tough and showy plant with leathery reddish leaves in a symmetrical, very leafy rosette. The inflorescence is a tight cluster of many dark orange branches in a capitate head with long scape bracts exceeding the branches. Very long lasting in color. A heavy plant, tough and sturdy, easy to grow. Grows well mounted or potted in a fast draining mix with good aeration. 

C.I.T.E.S. - The harrisii parent makes this plant ineligible for shipping outside of the U.S. Sorry!

A beautiful and unusual hybrid of (ionantha x harrisii). A graceful upright rosette with arching, velvety-white leaves that taper to a fine point. The rosette is about ten inches across and nine inches tall with many leaves. The leaf texture is rather soft and the leaves are coated with silvery trichomes on both sides. At anthesis the center few whorls of leaves blush pink and an inflorescence of reddish pink emerges but stays lower in the center of the plant. Flowers are tall and tubular, blue with lighter tips.

A rarity in cultivation. This one comes from Morro do Chapeu, Brazil. It is very similar in appearance to Tillandsia gardneri. It has narrower leaves and is more robust. It has a erect inflorescence with 6 to 8 branches. The bracts are pink with scurf and the petals are pink. 

The granddaddy of fragrant Tillandsias. Native to Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina where the trees in the arid Chaco are filled with this weird and wonderful, highly fragrant species. Having seen many thousands growing wild, I would have to call the plant a ‘vining’ species. The stem may grow to several feet long in older specimens and the leaves reach out and twist into tight curls at the tips. In nature, it may actually climb to the uppermost part of a tree in a few seasons, and many treetops are brimming with dozens of specimens reaching out into space.

The inflorescence is simple or may be branched but bears many very large purple flowers. The fragrance is very strong and a single specimen can perfume an entire garden. Does not root as an adult, so it must be attached with glue or wires to a mount. Best results may come from suspending the plant from a string or wire and hanging it in a bright airy spot. Easiest of all the fragrant Tillandsias to cultivate.