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TILLANDSIA bulbosa. 
Bulbous Tillandsia. 
HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA._Nat. Ord. BROMELIACEM. 
Gen. Char.— Ca/j/x trifidus, persistens. Corolla trifida, campanulata. Cap^ 
sula triloculaxis, loculis polyspermis. Semina papposa. 
Tillandsia bulbosa; foliis (paucis) e basi latissimo longe subulatis flexu- 
osis convolutis, spica subsimplici bracteis distichis imbricatis (viri- 
dibus) flore paule brevioribus, corolla (purpurea) laciniis acuminu- 
latis, staminibus exsertis. 
Parasitic. Leaves 6-7 inches long, rigid, few and mostly confined to the 
very lowest part of the plant, where their bases are so much enlarged and 
dilated as to form a sort of bulb ; the rest of the leaf is subulate, with 
the margin so entirely convolute as to appear cylindrical, remarkably 
spreading, flexuose, and more or less twisted : those of the stem (which 
scarcely exceeds the leaf in length), narrower at the base, and sheath- 
ing. Spike 2-3 inches long, of about 8 distichous, imbricated, rather 
large green hracteas, each inclosing a single flower ; simple, or bearing 
a secondary few-flowered spikelet near the base. 
Flowers but little protruded beyond the bracteas. Calyx shorter than the 
corolla, of three lanceolate, green segments. Corolla composed of three 
linear-lanceolate, convoluto-imbricate, rigid, acuminulate, purplish-blue 
laciniae, white at the base. Stamens six, rather longer than the corolla ; 
filaments even ; anthers oblong, blue ; pollen yellow. Germen ovate, 
green 3-ceUed, many-seeded. Style exceeding the stamens, filiform ; 
stigmas 3, rather long, spirally twisted, pubescent within. 
This singular species of Tillandsia blossomed in the stove 
of the Botanic Garden, Glasgow, August 1824, the plant ha- 
ving been sent the previous year by the late Baron De Schack 
from Trinidad. It was planted in a pot of common loam, mix- 
ed with peat, and kept tolerably moist. The flowers are small, 
VOL. III. 
