plant stemless, flowering to 12 cm high, often growing in multiheaded clusters. leaves numerous, longer than the inflorescence, arranged in a dense, erect to spreading rosette, to 14 cm long, light green, densely covered with spreading grey scales; sheath elliptic, distinct, somewhat arched, 1- 2 cm long, to 1.2 cm wide, light brown, adaxially finer, abaxially coarser, densely grey coloured, spreading lepidote, margins with small asymmetrical trichomes; blade 8 mm wide above sheaths, narrow-triangular, long filiform-attenuate, strongly involute, subulate, margins strongly curved particularly in basal region. inflorescence: peduncle 1- 4 cm long, pendent, partly concealed by leaves; peduncle bracts subfoliate, densely imbricate along peduncle, many times longer than internodes, with long filiform blades, densely grey lepidote; fertile part pendent, mostly simple (only in few cases with 1- 2 smallish lateral spikes), 5- 9 cm long, diameter 1.5 - 3 cm, elliptic or fusiform, consisting of 3- 7 reduced to one flower containing spikes, which are arranged in densely polystichous fashion (rachis not visible) around axis; primary bracts of the basal flowers resemble the flower bracts, but are l cm shorter than those. flowers sessile, erect; floral bracts 3.5- 5 cm long, 1- 1.5 cm wide, narrowly ovate, acute, exceeding sepals considerably, hyaline, strongly nerved, ecarinate, rosecoloured, with dense fine pruinose scales; sepals to 3.3 cm long, 8 mm wide, narrow elliptic, acute, very thin, glabrous, nerved, free, the adaxial ones strongly carinate; petals forming an erect tube, to 7.5 cm long, 8 mm wide at the apex, 4 mm wide at the base, lingulate, acute, the apeces only slightly recurved, upper half violet, white towards base. stamens and pistil far exceeding petals (style to 1.8 cm, filaments to l cm) filaments to 7.8 cm long, arranged in two rows of unequal length, at apex 1 mm in ovate cross-section, violet, becoming white and tapering towards base; anther attached 1/4 from base, 3 mm long, elliptic, brownish, pollen rich yellow. pistil: style 1.8 cm long, white, stigma yellowish, 2 mm high, 3 mm wide, slightly twisted, lobes somewhat spreading and papillose; ovary 6 mm long, 2 mm wide, conical, light green.Edited from : Ehlers 1990b. Tillandsia feldhoffii R. Ehlers spec. nov. .