Tillandsia taxcoensis
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Tillandsia taxcoensis Ehlers
See also T. religiosa, a recently described related species.
| ? 11/11 |
Bruce Dunstan 05/26 ex Peter Tristram as T. sp Leipzig BG |
Tillandsia taxcoensis R.Ehlers, Die Bromelie 1/1996 p26-28
Typus: Mexico, Estado Morelos, prope urbem Taxco, in via ad pagum Ixcateopan, 1800–1900 m s. m., epilithica, leg. K. & R. Ehlers EM892602, 26.4. 1989, floruit in coll. Ehlers mensibus Augusto et Septembro 1992. (Holotypus et Isotypus :WU.)
A T. thyrsigera E. MORREN ex BAKER foliis griseoribus, limbis angustioribus, spicis angustioribus minus applanatisque cum stipite sterili longi, bracteis florigeris extus lepidotis et petalis flavo-viridibus differt.
Plant growing on rocks, stemless, however with very long stocky stolons(in habitat to 1m high, with robust roots attaching to rocks), with many small offsets at base, flowering 50–200cm high, making an erect to spreading rosette. Young plants, relatively small but capable of flowering make an almost erect tube with leaf blades becoming erect with few (10–15) leaves. Old plants make a large, 80–100 cm high to 80cm wide rosette with numerous leaves.
Leaves to 80cm long, almost tongue like, leathery-thick fleshy, dark green, dense grey scales, with a distinct asymmetric keel.
Leaf sheath 10–20cm long, 6–12 cm wide, elliptic, convex, inside dark brown, outside light brown, fine brownish appressed lepidote, fairly distinct.
Leaf blade 5–7cm wide next to sheath, ligulate, narrow triangular acuminate, 25–60cm long, smooth, inside weak, outside dense rough subpruinose lepidote and nerved.
Scape much shorter than the rosette, stocky, covered and hidden by imbricate leaflike scape bracts.
Inflorescence erect, 40–70 (-100)cm high, 10–15cm wide, dense bipinnate thyrsiform of 7–25 dense upright, becoming erect, compound spikes.
Primary bracts similar to upper scape bracts, their oval sheaths shorter than the sterile stem of the spike and enclosing it, red, dense rough grey lepidote, the blade of the lower ones to 8cm long, triangular acuminate, recurved, the upper ones short tipped.
Spikes 15–30cm (the apical spike 40cm) long, 2cm wide, (after flowering to 2.5cm), becoming complanate, oval, with dense sterile imbricate bracts, ca 8mm wide, stem mostly as long or longer than the fertile part of the spike, the fertile top portion of the spike lancelike acuminate, the flexuous 4 sided, lepidote, spike rhachis not visible at anthesis but visible post floral, with 5–15 sessile, to 8cm long, scentless flowers.
Flower bracts 3–4.5cm long, 2–3 times as long as the internodes, exceed the sepals, 1.4–1.7cm wide, narrow elliptic, acuminate, thin leathery, not keeled, inside strongly nerved and away from the base dense coarse lepidote, outside light pinkish red, at the base weak otherwise dense white/grey pruinose lepidote.
Sepals 3–3.8cm long, 1–1.2cm wide, narrow elliptic, acuminate, subfree (uniformly joined for about 2mm), naked, light green, green at base, the posterior pair with thickened keel.
Petal 5.5–6cm long, to 7mm wide, narrowing to 5mm at the base, tongue like, tubular, erect, sharply bent outwards at the tip, yellowish green (chartreuse)
Stamens exceed the flower by 2cm
Filament to 6cm long, in 2 unequal rows, the upper part 1mm wide, oval, light green, the middle ribbonlike, narrow, repeatedly twisted and entwined together, becoming white yellowish
Anthers 3.5mm long, 1mm wide, elliptic, joined 1mm from the base, light brown
Pollen egg yellow
Style exceeds the filament, 6.5cm long, emerald green
Stigma to 4mm long, 1.5mm wide, twisted once
Lobes erect, papillose (TypeI B&G)
Ovary 7mm high, 3mm wide at base, conical, light green
Type locality Mexico, Estado Morelos, near Taxco, on the road towards Ixcateopan, epilithic, 1800–1900m leg. K&R Ehlers 26/4/1989 EM892602 flowered Aug/Sept 1992 in collection of Ehlers. Holotype WU
Differs from T. thyrsigera in
Plant an erect, little spreading rosette
Leaves shiny grey, dense grey lepidote
Leaf blades longer, narrower, longer acuminate
Scape bracts lepidote, narrower
Primary bracts narrower and with long narrow blade
Spike narrower, however rounder, with very long, narrow, with more sterile bracts, and fewer fertile flower
Rhachis lepidote and not visible at anthesis
Petals yellow green not violet
Updated 29/05/26
