98 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
selected, with beds built close to the heating pipes in order 
to provide bottom heat. These beds are filled with tan 
bark, or similar moisture containing material, into which 
the plants are plunged. It is necessary to maintain a moist 
atmosphere in such a house, with a temperature of about 
90°. Plants subjected to such treatment may be expected 
to yield fruit in about three years. 
One of the best-known bromeliads is Tillandsia usneoides, 
the so-called “Spanish moss,” or “old man’s beard.” This 
is quite common in the Southern States, where it is found 
hanging in long festoons from the trees upon which it 
grows. Numerous companies are organized throughout the 
South for collecting and preparing Spanish moss, to be used 
for filling mattresses, cushions, ete. While the plant may 
be used as collected, it usually is subjected to a fermenting 
rocess which removes the outer cellular portion, and after 
ing dried it becomes stiff and wiry. A closely related plant 
is Tillandsia Caput-Medusae, a native of the West Indies, 
which because of the twisted leaves arising from the swollen 
base, gives to it the common name of “Medusa’s head,” or 
“octopus plant.” 
The giant of the tillandsias is Tillandsia grandis, which — 
sige eg huge rosettes of large strap-shaped leaves about 
ve feet long. The flowering spike may attain a height of 
ten or twelve feet, resembling a century plant. Tillandsias 
of the “splendens” and ‘“Lindeni’” type bear unusually showy 
flowers and some interesting hybrids derived from these 
types are in cultivation at the Garden. 
Good flowering species of the genus Billbergia are repre- 
sented in the Garden collection and the heads of numerous 
bright red flowers — occasionally tipped with purple — to- 
gether with the large red bracts, are very showy. Billbergia 
speciosa, one of the oldest species pod fe cultivation, pro- 
duces a pendant flowering spike bearing pale cream’ or white 
tubular flowers which are not infrequently tipped with blue. 
These, with thetone rose-colored bracts, produce a combina- 
tion which invariably attracts attention. 
Some other noteworthy specimens in the Garden collec- 
tion are Aechmea robusta, an ornamental plant, somewhat 
resembling the pineapple; the various species of ‘Karatas, 
frequently used, because of their beautifully colored leaves, 
as decorative foliage plants; and the various species of 
tanthus, the most noteworthy being Cyptanthus zonatus, 
_which differs from the other bromeliads in being procumbent 
in its habit. The leaves are undulated and reddish brown 
bridged with white glaucous bands. Other species are striped 
