In July 1983, Alexander Hirtz of Quito, Ecuador, and the author collected a climbing Pitcairnia in Selva Allegre in a cloud forest in northeastern Ecuador. The plant had thick stems, a big strobiliform inflorescence and flowers with white-yellow or pale brown petals becoming pendent after anthesis (Fig 4). In appearance it was unlike any Pitcairnia species that we had seen. The flowers resembled those of Tillandsia viridiflora.
At first we believed that we had found a new species, but with the Pitcairnia key of the Smith and Downs monograph, we determined it to be Pitcairnia fosteriana, known only from Sibunday-Narino in southwestern Colombia.
Our plant is, therefore, new to Ecuador and we can add remarks to the original description:
According to our observations, Pitcairnia fosteriana must be a night bloomer as well as P. loki-schmidtii Barthlott & Rauh, P. macrochlamys Mez, and P. xanthocalyx Mart., all from Mexico.
In any case, Pitcairnia fosteriana is an interesting plant. Our collection number is Rauh 60258, July 1983, holotype in Herbarium, Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Heidelberg (HEID). —SeeRauh 1992bp. 42(5): 200-201