Vriesea appenii Rauh[as Vriesea appenii ]

Diagnose: —A Vriesea heterandra (Andre) L. B. Smith, cui affinis, spicis majoribus vix camplanatis, bracteis florigeris convexis firmis haud nervatis differt.

Observations: —V. appenii is a remarkable, striking (when flowering) Tillandsia-like Vriesea, which is closely related to V. (=Tillandsia) heterandra, another Tillandsialike Vriesea which is distributed from Colombia to Bolivia. The differences between the two species are the following:
In V. heterandra (Andre) L. B. Smith the inflorescence is relatively dense, the complanate spikes short, the flower bracts carinate and distinct nerved; the petals whitish to rose-violet and crenulate at the margins.
In V. appenii the inflorescence is very lax, the many flowered spikes are spreading horizontally and not complanate; the flower-bracts are rounded on the back and not distinctly nerved; the petals are dark-blue and entire (not crenulate) at the margin.

Edited from : Bromel. Soc. Bull. 19: 111,figs. p. 110. (1969)