TILLANDSIA 

 Plant-body thndet and h niyin 



TILLANDSIA 



1811 



usneoides, Linu Spanish Florida or Lomg Mos<! 

 Figs. 2516, 2517 Whole plant hoar} graj hanging from 

 trees ; the stems "v er> slen 

 der and often ".eveial feet 

 long: Ivs. scattered nar 

 row-linear, 1-3 m long fis 

 solitary in the leaf axiN 

 small and not showy, the 

 petals yellow and reflexed 

 at the end. Trop Amer 

 and in the U S from Texas 

 to Fla. and eastern V ir 

 ginia; extends southward to 

 southern Brazil B M 6301 

 Gn. 37, p. 221 &t 4j \ 

 2G7.-Thisisoneof theme t 

 characteristic plants of oin 

 southern regions In moi t 

 regions it gi^ es a most weir 1 

 aspect to the forests It is 

 used as a packing material 

 and also, when specialh 

 prepared, for upholstery It 

 is rarely cultivittd althougli 

 it is not uncommon in green 

 houses, being hung on 

 branches and beams; but it 

 must be renewed frequently. 

 The plant is named for its 

 resemblance to the lichen 

 Usnea. 



spikes long and nan v 

 spreadmj; petals purplf 

 upper Ivs and bra ts 

 B M -1288 F S 3 221 



serttd but not 



2517. The Spanish Moss — TiUandsia usneoides, haneins from the trees. Gulf 



AA. Plant-body stiff and nearly oi qtiiti itf t 

 B. Stamens shorter than the petal-. 

 c. Fls. few in the cluster. 

 recurvata, Linn. (T. Biirtrami, Ell., at least in part). 

 A few inches high, tufted, with scurfy terete or fili- 

 form recurved 2-ranked Ivs.: fls. 1-5 on a spike that is 

 sheathed at the base but naked above, the corolla blue 

 and exceeding the calyx. Florida to Argentina and 

 Chile. 



cc. Fls. many, distichous. 

 4nceps, Lodd. (\'riesia rinceps, Lem.). Erect, the 

 flower-stem 6-12 in. tall and bearing a spike with large 

 distichous green bracts 

 from which small blue fls. 

 emerge : Ivs. stiff, about 1 

 ft. long, dilated and striped 

 at the "base: fls. 2 in. or less 

 long, blue or purplish, the 

 perianth much exceeding 

 the calyx. Costa Rica, 

 Trinidad. L.B.C. 8-771. 



Llndeniana, Kegel (T. 

 LIndeni, Morr. l-rirsiaL!,,- 

 deni, Lem.). Lvs. rosulate. 

 about 1 ft. long, dilated at 

 the base, long recurving: 



lirh.M,^ hra.'ls carmine; fls. 

 III-., iiiu.-li rxM-rted beyond 

 till' iiriii-ts. the large wide- 

 spreading segments bluish 

 purple. Ecuador. Peru. I. 

 H. 16:610; 27:370 (as var. 

 Kegeliina). G.C. II. 12: 

 461. R. H. 1872:230; 18118: 

 206 (as var. tricolor). F.M. 

 1872:44. — A handsome and 

 popular species. 



BB. Stamens longer than 

 the petals. 

 . c. Stem fhichened and bvlb- 

 like at the base. 

 bulbdsa, Hook. Small 

 high, the stem swollen at the 

 base: Ivs. 3-5 in. long, much dilated and clasping at 

 the base and terete above: fls. few, in racemose short 



2516. Spanish Moss— Tilland 

 sia usneoides. (Much re 

 dueed. ) 



scurfy plant a few inches 



( I Stem not ptominently swollen. 

 II Lis linear oi filiform from the base or abruptly 

 from a dilated base. 

 polystachya, Linn. ( T. angusfifdlia, Swartz. T.parvi- 

 sph-a, Baker). Lvs. rosulate, lepidote or scurfy, curved, 

 equaling or exceeding the stem: inflorescence compound, 

 somewh.it paniculate, the lateral spikes shorter than the 

 central ones, the bracts distichous and pointed and little 

 exceeding the ciljx fls blue. S Fla. to Brazil. 



tenuifOlia, I.mn (T , ,i s/nlosa , Li conte, not Ch.im. 



DD. Lvs. gradually narrowed from a broad base. 

 fascicul4ta, Swartz (T. bracteAta, Chapm. T. glau- 

 cophi'/lla, B&ker. Vriisia glaucophylla, Hook.). Tall, 

 strong species with stem 2 ft. tall: lvs. 1-1 K ft. long, 

 concave or channeled above, erect or ascending, scurfy 

 and bluish; stem longer than the lvs. and branched, the 

 branches or spikes bearing di.stichous keeled acute 

 mostly greenish and red-tinged bracts: fls. narrow, ex- 

 serted, blue. S. Fla., West Indies and Central Amer. 

 B.M. 4415. F.S. 5:432.-Very variable. 



ntricuUta, Linn. Plant 2-3 ft. high: lvs. glaucous 

 and scurfy, becoming subulate and recurved at the 

 summit but much dilated and imbricated at the base 

 and forming pockets that hold water: inflorescence 

 branched, the fls. far apart on the branches: fls, pale 

 blue (pale colored forms), narrow, the petals twice 

 longer than the sepals. S. Fla. to S. Amer. B.K. 

 9:749 (as T. flexuosa, va.r. pallida). -For tuU descrip- 

 tion of this species, together with plate, see Trelease, 

 5th Rept. Mo. Bot. Gard. (1894). 



T. bieittata. Linden, is Cryptanthus hivittatus. See p. 404.— 

 T. fanmisa. Hort., is Billbergia pyramidalis. See p. 163.-r. 

 La Salliana: "A new species from South America, -with most 

 brilliant flowers. It is of free growth and easily cultivated, 

 thriving best in a moderate temperature and in alight, tibrous 

 soil mixed with sphagnum." (Siebreeht.)— T. miisaicn. Lin- 

 den, is properly Guzmania musaica, Mez. It is acauleseent: 

 lvs. 20 or less in a rosette, lorate and obtuse but with a cusp. 

 Tilth tniTi'.viise lines on both surfaces: fls. in a rounded head 

 on till- iiiil rit ;i ri'iMiracted scape, the corolla white. Colombia. 

 P.M r.i;::. I II, ■Jl.Ji'.H (.IS Caraguatamus-iica). It is an excel- 

 l.-nt III ml , Willi liii.uil lvs. 2 ft. long. lu the American trade. 

 This pl.iiit ^ sometimes known as a Massangea (see p. 992).— 



