VOLKAMERIA 



V0LEAM£RIA. Consult Clerodendron. 



VBIfiSIA (named for Dr. W. de Vriese, of Amster- 

 dam). Bromelificefs. Often spelled Vriesea, but not so 

 spelled by Lindley, who founded the genus. According 

 to Mez (DC. Monogr. Phaner. 9), 84 species are to be 

 referred to this genus. They are very like tillandsias, 

 with which they are united by Bentham & Hooker and 

 others. The chief technical difference is the presence 

 in Vriesia of 2 ligules or a single cleft or emarginate 

 ligule on the inside of the base of petals. Culturally 

 Vriesias are like tillandsias. They run to forms with 

 marbled and banded leaves. They are tropical Ameri- 

 can stiff-leaved plants, with mostly distichous spikes 

 bearing large and showy bracts. Several species have 

 been introduced in recent years, and many 

 garilen hybrids have been produced. Few 

 kinds; are offered in the American trade, an( 

 only these kinds are described here. Po 

 other kinds, see the monographs of Bake 

 and Mez; also the Kew List of introduction 

 for 187(^1896. Por culture, see Tillandsia. 



cc. Bracts of infloresren 

 guttata, Lind. & Andr.^ ( ' 

 Lvs. rosulate, erect-an-liiiii 

 mucronate, olive-green wiih 

 purple: bracts farinose, lo. 

 lis. yellow. Brazil. I.H. 22 



1957 



ultiita, Baker), 

 rather broad, 

 lots of brown- 

 scape slender: 



Stan 



an the petals, 

 branched. 



SaOndeTsii, Morr. {Tillandsia Saiindersii, C. 

 Eneholirion Saiindersii, Andr^). About 1% ft. high 

 when in bloom : lvs. many in a rosette, rather short, 

 strongly recurving, grayish and somewhat white-dotted 

 above, spotted with red-brown 'beneath: fls. in a 

 branched open inflorescence, sulfur-yellow, cylindrical 

 inform. Brazil. I.H. 20:132. 



BB. Inflorescence simple, 

 c. Bracts of inflorescence strongly imbricate. 



spWndens, Lem. ( V. speciosa. Hook. Tillandsia 

 spUndens, Brongn. T. picta, Hort. T. sebrlna, Hort., 

 in part). Fig. 2706. Strong-growing plant, with broad, 

 strong, arching-ascending lvs. 1 ft. or more long, which 

 are bright green and marked witli dark l)rown trans- 

 verse bands: spike with deii^'l\ inil.r hmii il t>right red- 

 acuminate bracts, the scapt- ~i n. i ' -. rted, yel- 

 lowish white. Guiana. B.JI. ; I - I :; C, p. 1G2. 

 R.H. 1846:41. -One of the l.r-i ;,n.l i,,.,-i I, ..wy species. 

 A robust form is var. m4jor, Hort. — See Supplementary 

 List below for additional note on I', zebrina. 



oarinita, Wawra ( V. brachystachys, Regel. TiUdnd- 



somewhat glaucous, not s 

 spreading nearly divaricate 

 scarlet at the base and yello 

 protruding, pale yellow. Br; 



ed: spike with wide- 

 linate bracts which are 

 L green at the end: fls. 

 B.M. 6014. 



2706. Vriesia splendens. 



psittaclna, Lindl. (Tillandsia psittaclna. Hook.). 

 About 1 ft. high when in bloom: lvs. rosulate, 6-10 in. 

 long, dilated at the base, yellowish green: fls. large, 

 yellow with green tips, scattered on a distichous spike, 

 the bracts red at the base and yellow at the top. Brazil. 

 B.R. 29:10, where the genus is founded. B.M. 2841. 

 R.H. 1855:221.— A showy species when in bloom. 



shorter than the petals. 

 B. Lrs. not barred, mottled or tessellated. 

 heliconioides, Lindl. ( K. beilula, Hort. Tillandsia 

 io\des, HBK.). Dwarf and tufted, with many 

 e recurving or arching lanceolate lvs. (about 12 

 g), which are bright green above and purple 

 tinged beneath. Scape overtopping the 

 foliage, simple and erect, with wide-spread- 

 ing distichous boat-shaped bracts that are 

 light red at the base and greenish at the 

 tip, showy : fls. white. Colombia. I. H. 

 30:490. G.C. 11. 21:140. 



BB. Lvs. tessellated {marked in small 

 checker-work) or minutely variegated. 

 tesseliata, Morr. {Tillandsia tesselldia, 

 Lind.). Lvs. short and rather broad, rosu- 

 late, dilated at base, short-pointed, rather 

 stiff, channeled, tessellated with green and 

 yellow: inflorescence paniculate, the green- 

 ish bracts remote: fls. yellow. Bra- 

 zil. I.H. 21:179. R.H. 1889, p. 

 573. 



fenestl&lis, Lind. & Andr^ (Til- 

 landsia fenestrdlis, Hook. f. ). 

 Robust, densely tufted, the lvs. 

 stout (1-2 ft. long) and recurved, 

 brown-tipped, with many dark green veins and cross 

 veins: inflorescence a simple stout spike IK ft. long 

 and bearing green-spotted bracts : fls. pale yellow. 

 Brazil. B.M. 6898. I.H. 22:215. 



