plant up to 30 cm long, caulescent. leaves many, along the stem dense polystichous arranged, the older strongly recurved and mostly hidden by the stem, the younger erect to spreading, shorter as the peduncle, very dense white pruinose lepidote; sheath indistinct, at base subglabrous, whitish, to 20 mm wide; blade narrow triangular, 9–10 cm long, few canaliculate, more soft than stiff, pale green, dense pruinose and the margins fimbriate lepidote, apex subobtuse attenuate. inflorescence: peduncle 12 cm long, terete, stout, about 6 mm in diameter, pale green, dense white lanate lepidote; peduncle bracts lance-ovate, dense imbricate, equal to or exceeding the internodes, the lower subfoliaceous, the upper with long subulate blades but all shorter at the base of the inflorescence, dense pruinose lepidote; fertile part subglobose, dense, composed from 6- 7 spikes, 45 mm long, 35 mm in diameter; primary bracts like the upper peduncle bracts, ovate, acute, shorter than the lateral spikes, 24 mm long, 12 mm wide, roseate, dense tomentose white lepidote; spikes subdense distichous 2–4 flowered, rachis stout, dense tomentose. flowers erect, sessile, 26 mm long; floral bracts erect, lanceolate, acute, 18–20 mm long, to 10 mm wide, coriaceous, carinate, at base with thickened middlenerve, roseate, dense tomentose lepidote, exceeding the sepals; sepals lance-elliptic, broadly acute, 11–12 mm long, to 4 mm wide, adaxially only 1 mm connate, carinate, at base with thickened middlenerve, whitish, at apex pale roseate, even, with hyaline margins, glabrous, only at the extreme apex and at base of the middlenerve few tomentose; petals linear, 22 mm long, with 10 mm long and 4 mm wide ovate blades, base tubular , white, blades subspreading and pale violaceo-roseate. stamens included, 13 mm long, white, flattened, in the upper 1/4 part only single transversal plicate; anther linear, thin, scarcely 2 mm long, yellow, basifixed; only pistil visible in the claw, terete, white, 15 mm long; stigmata very small, white, ovary subglobose, about 2 mm high, pale green, glabrous.Edited from : Weber & Ehlers 1982. A New Variety of Tillandsia gardneri from Brazil .