Travel report, 9.12.2005
We drove along the Mexican west coast and tried to reach the city of Coalcoman via Aquila several times. Shortly after the drive out to Aquila, interesting limestone rocks appeared and the first tillandsias (T. ionantha and T. caput-medusae) were found there. Upon our first attempts to drive along this road, its condition was so bad that we had to postpone our plan to go from Aquila to Coalcoman.
Upon our third approach in 2005, the road was continuously paved, and we were curious about what we would find. Approaching and leaving Aquila, there were many tillandsias and orchids. Later, the road ascended quickly and led into expanded forest areas. There, Selenicereus validus was found sporadically growing on large trees. In a damp and wet area at El Resumidero, we found T. lauii and T. mooreana on dead trees with their red
translucent leaves, as well as Pitcairnia heterophylla ssp. albiflora. Driving in the direction of Coalcoman, we again crossed forested areas.
During a short rest under a tree, Gerhard said: “Look, that cliff over there! It looks interesting". We moved quickly to the other side of the road, and approx. 500 m further, we stood in front of a reddish brown cliff with a steep drop. In the cracks and crevices of the rock grew a Tillandsia that merged strikingly with the colour of the rock, so that we had to look twice to recognise it. After close examination of the plant, we noted that we had not seen such a Tillandsia before. Here at 800 m altitude, we found T. fuchsii v. gracilis, T. hintoniana and different orchids on the neighbouring trees. On the ground, Agave maximiliana was growing. So far, this Tillandsia is known only from this rock.
Lydia and Gerhard Kohres Wingertstrasse 33 D-64390 Erzhausen —SeeDie Bromelie
Pflanze auf Felsen in 800 m Höhe, in heiBem Gebiet von Michoacan angesiedelt (in 2000 m in Durango); Scheiden der Blatter langer und dunkler braun; Spreiten über der Scheide nur 2 cm (3,5 cm) breit; Infloreszenzstiel viel kürzer, nur 10-15 cm (bis 30 cm) lang; fertiler Teil der Infloreszenz kleiner, nur 10-15 cm lang und bis 3 cm breit (bis 30 cm lang und ca. 10 cm breit); Ahren kürzer, j edoch breiter, 6-12 cm lang und bis 2,5 cm breit (bis 30 cm lang und nur ca. l cm breit); Blütenbrakteen gröBer, bis 3,3 cm (bis 2,4 cm) lang; Sepalen ebenfalls langer, bis 2,5 cm (ca. l ,8 cm) lang, frei (bis 5 mm hoch verwachsen); Petalen viel langer und breiter, bis 6,8 cm lang und l O mm breit (bis 4,3 cm lang und ca. 4 mm breit); StaubgeföBe ebenfalls langer. —SeeEhlers 2008
