Tillandsia schultesiana (L.B.Sm.) Kessous & A.F.Costa

plant epilithic, flowering 15−25(−40) cm high. leaves 15−20 in number, forming an utriculate rosette; sheath ovate, 1−2.3 × 1−1.7 cm, densely scaly lepidote, dark brown on both surfaces; blade narrowly linear, 10–35 × 0.25–0.5 cm, apex caudate to long attenuate, sparsely lepidote on both surfaces. inflorescence simple, densely and distichously 6–18 flowered, 11–35 cm, erect, bearing 1–2 sterile bracts at the apex and 1 sterile bract in the basis; peduncle erect, 9–30 cm long and 1–3 mm in diameter, sparsely lepidote; peduncle bracts erect to suberect, slightly if at all imbricate, oblong-elliptic, apex of the lower ones attenuate-caudate, 15–25(–50) × 4–7 mm, pale yellow, sparsely lepidote on both surfaces; rachis geniculate (2–)5–10(–12) cm long, 1.7–2 mm in diameter; floral bracts broadlyelliptic, obtuse, incurved at the apex, 13–23 × 6–12 mm, slightly carinate at the apex, pale yellow exceeding the sepals, sparsely lepidote on the adaxial surface, glabrous or sometimes sparsely lepidote on the abaxial surface. flowers ca 23 mm long, 4–6 mm apart, distichous, suberect; sepals linear-oblong, obtuse, 7.5–8 × 1.8–2.2 mm, ecarinate, symmetric, sparsely lepidote on the adaxial surface; petals narrowly elliptic, ca 14 × 3.2 mm, pale yellowish; petals* appendages ca 4 × 1.4 mm, adnate to the petal base for 2–3 mm, entire with a rounded free lobe. stamens included; filament ca 7.5 mm long, adnate to the base of the petal for 5.2 mm; anther ca 3 × 0.7 mm, suberect. pistil: ovary conical, ca 1 × 0.8 mm; style ca 6 mm long; stigma conduplicate-spiral. fruits cylindrical, suberect, 18–20 mm; seeds including coma ca 4.6 mm, without or with a short apical coma (0.1 mm), basal coma ca 1.9 mm; distribution —this species occurs on quartzite cliffs in colombia, 100–300 m above sea level; taxonomic and nomenclatural notes —this species is easily recognized in herbaria, especially because of its small size, grass-like leaves, blades with a caudate to long attenuate apex, and inflorescence shape; we observed petal colors ranging from white to yellow on herbaria labels; this set of characteristics, in addition to the conduplicatespiral stigma (fig; 7b) and the geographical distribution (restricted to colombia) lead us to propose the combination tillandsia subg; pseudovriesea; the apical coma of the seed is absent or short in t; schultesiana.

Edited from : Kessous & Costa 2023. Novelties in “incertae sedis” Vriesea (Bromeliaceae: Tillandsioideae): Redescriptions, new combinations and nomenclatural revision .