Tillandsia graomogolensis
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Tillandsia graomogolensis
Species, was T. kurt-horstii.
Fragrant and fairly rare.
Ken Woods 01/09.
Bruce Dunstan 11/13.
Chris Larson ... "Hi Bruce. Your graomogolensis from me, is an ex-Isley form. It should be scented.
The silvery foliage on this plant is very nice & forms a nice clump quite quickly. (This used to be mis-labelled T. kurt-horstii & still is in some areas)."
Derek Butcher ... "I also imported this as T. kurt-horstii in 1991, so this name could be on labels. It was not until 1999 that Walter Till decided it was really T. graomogolensis which had been considered by Lyman Smith as a T. streptocarpa. Grao Mogol is a national park in Minas Gerais, Brazil."
Bob Hudson 08/15
Alfonso Trudu 09/19 (stages of flower opening)
Vic Przetocki 06/20

Tillandsia grao-mogolensis A. Silveira Floralia Montium 2 page 26 (1931)
Tillandsia kurt horstii Rauh W . Trop. Subtrop. Pflanzenwelt 60: 69-77. 1987 see Till in Bromelia 5(1-4):42.1999
Roots few, brown.
Stem simple or many joined together, not at all branched, up to 4cm high, 2 – 3mm thick, covered by the leaves
Leaves triangular, thick, above concave channelled, underneath convex, gradually narrowing towards the tip, tip filiform, at the base a large short sheath enclosing the stem, attached in 5 – 6 spirals, pale green, spreading in all directions, both sides with scales brown in middle and white at edges, on the upper surface these are blunt or on the narrow extended ligules above they are appressed, on the under surface all are covered with white hairs that spread backwards, 5 – 20cm long, 2 – 5mm wide in middle.
Scape brown, by no means flexuous, up to 20 cm long, glabrous.
Scape bracts decreasing from base to top, clasping the stem, lower ones similar to the leaves, upper ones unlike the leaves, longer than the internodes, acute but not prolonged acuminate, appressed, with shorter blade, lepidote like the leaves.
Inflorescence spicate, few flowered (5 – 6 Flowers) simple, densely distichous.
Floral bracts elliptic, lanceolate, acute, on the back lepidote on longitudinal veins, equal in length to the petal claw, brown/violet, 11 – 5 cm long
Flowers violet, 1.5 – 2cm long
Sepals elliptic-lanceolate, acute, glabrous, violet-brown, equalling the petal claw, up to 2mm connate then free.
Petals 2cm long, from the linear claw at the height of the sepal the blade widens to a circle and spreads out at 90º, of a lovely violet, claw white, all are glabrous.
Stamens 3 free, half as long as the petal claw, filaments flat, glabrous, 5mm long, Anthers linear, 2mm long, yellow, pollen grains oval, acute, yellow, Style short, white, shorter than the ovary, Stigmas never reaching the anthers, white
Ovary triangular, glabrous, white.
Type locality on rocks named ‘Pedra Rica’ near Grao Mogol, Minas Gerais, leg Alvaro da Silveira Jul 1926 #800 in Silveira Herbarium
Differs from T. retrorsa chiefly in the simple inflorescence.

Tillandsia kurt horstii Rauh W Trop. Subtrop. Pflanzenwelt 60: 69-77. 1987
Placed under synonymy under T. graomogolensis by Till in Bromelia 5(1-4):42 .1999
Planta caulescens, florens usque ad 30 cm alta, ramosissima, caespites laxos 10-15 cm altos, 10-50 cm diametientes formans; cauliusque ad 15 cm longus basi tenuis, nudus, copiose radicans, apicem versus incrassatus vaginis foliorum desiccatorum obtectus; folia viventia laxe spiraliter disposita. Vaginae distincte limitatae amplexicaules, usque ad 1,5 cm altae, 1,7 cm latae, pallide brunnescentes supra glabrae nitentes, subtus in dimidio superiore dense albo-lepidotae. Laminae iuventute erectae, senectute plus minusve rectangulariter patentes, usque ad 15 cm longae, 4 mm latae, longe attenuatae, valde canaliculatae, utrimque dense albo-divaricato-lepidotae; lepides valde asymmetricae aliformiter elongatae. Inflorescentiae erectae vel paulum arcuatae, usque ad 20 cm longae semper simplices. Scapus inflorescentiae tenuis, 15-20 cm longus, glaber. Bracteae scapi erectae, basales subfoliatae, dense albo-lepidotae, superiores elaminatae oblongo-lanceolatae, atroviolaceae, glabrescentes. Spica complanata, 3-6 flora, usque ad 3 cm longa, 1 cm lata; rhachis a latere applanata, visibilis, modice flexuosa, glabra. Bracteae florales erectae, ecarinatae, oblongo-lanceolatae, acuminatae, usque ad 15 mm longae, 4 mm latae, sepala superantes, laxe lepidotae, glabrescentes, atroviolaceae , in sicco valde nervatae. Flores subsessiles, usque ad 2,5 cm longi, violacei centro albo. Sepala libera, lanceolata, 12 mm longa, 4 mm lata, posteriora subcarinata apice atroviolaceae, basim versus virescenti-alba. Petala anguste lanceolata laminis late ovalibus 5 x 5 mm metientibus, planis, violaceis. Stamina stylusque profunde inclusa.
Tillandsia streptocarpa BAKER (Typus Balansa 615) similis, sed ab ea differt habitu dense pulvinato, caulibus tenuibus ramosissimis et copiose radicantibus, foliis angustissimis profunde canaliculatis congesto-patentibus lepidotis, inflorescentibus semper simplicibus, spicis brevissimis usque ad 3 cm longis, 0,5 cm latis laxe paucifloris.
Holotypus: Rauh et Kurt Ingo Horst 67335 (23. 4. 1986), in herb. inst. bot. system. univ. heidelb. (HEID).
Patria et distributio: planta epilithica in rupibus graniticis (montibus insularibus) caespites expansos, sed laxos formans, apud 1000 m.s.m., prope Pedra Azul (septenr. orient. Minas Gerais, in direct. meridion. Vitoria da Conquista), Brasilia.

PLANT - Caulescent, flowering to 30cm high, amply branched and lax, l0-15cm high and making a large swathe, l0-50cm diameter. Stem to l5cm long, at the base thin, naked and strongly rooted, towards the tip thickened by the sheath of dead leaves; live leaves laxly spirally arranged.
LEAF SHEATH - Clearly evident, strongly covering the stem to l.5cm high, l.7cm wide, pale brownish, top side naked, shiny, underneath of the top half dense white (sparrig) lepidote.
LEAF BLADE - When young erect, with age ca. horizontal sticking out, to l5cm long, 4mm wide, long attenuate, strongly channelled, almost grooved, both sides dense white pruinose lepidote, scales strongly asymmetric and long type of wings.
INFLORESCENCE - Erect to slightly bent over, to 20cm long, always simple.
SCAPE - Very thin, l5-20cm long, naked.
SCAPE BRACTS - Erect, the bottom ones longer than the internodes, leaflike, dense white lepidote, the upper bladeless, longish lancelike, dark-violet, naked.
SPIKE - Complanate, 3-6 flowered, to 3cm long, lcm wide, acuminate.
RHACHIS - Flat on the side, visible, weakly flexible, naked.
FLOWER BRACT - Erect longish lancelike, acuminate, to l5mm long, 4mm wide, exceeds the sepals, scattered lepidote, naked, dark violet, not keeled, when dry strongly nerved.
FLOWER - Subsessile.
SEPAL - Lancelike, ca l2mm long, free at base, the posterior slightly keeled, the tip dark violet, the bottom greenish white.
PETAL - Thin lancelike with broad oval, 5x5mm large, flat and wide, blue violet 'Platten', throat white.
STYLE & STIGMA - Deeply enclosed, filament flat with anther exceeding the short style.
HOLOTYPE – Rauh & Kurt Ingo Horst 67 335 (23. 4. 1986) HEID
HABITAT - Growing on granite rocks in compound expanses, in lax formations, about l000m. near Pedra Azul (N.E. of Minas Gerais. S. of Vitoria da Conquista), BRAZIL.

Differs from T. streptocarpa in:
1 - Forms dense cushions.
2 - Stem tenuous and very much branched with many roots.
3 - Leaves narrow, deeply channelled with congested spreading lepidote scales.
4 - Inflorescence always simple.
5 - Spike very short to 3cm long, 0.5cm wide, lax, few flowered.

Updated 07/08/20