Tillandsia guatemalensis L.B.Sm.
Taxonomic Change:
- Nomen novum for Allardtia cyanea A. Dietr. —See Smith 1949 p. 29(11): 281
- Allardtia cyanea A. Dietr. (1852) is a valid and legitimate. The name Tillandsia cyanea in Koch’s article (1867) was not validely published by Koch, as he did not accept the name for the exhibited plant in Paris (which was a Bromelioideae according to the text). This means, the name Tillandsia cyanea was still available at that time. The combination of Allardtia cyanea A. Dietr. under Tillandsia by Morren as Tillandsia cyanea (A.Dietr) E.Morren (1879) for this taxon is therefor valid and legitimate, because Tillandsia cyanea was still available. The new name Tillandsia guatemalensis L.B. Sm. (1949) for Allardtia cyanea is illegitimate and superfluous, as the correct name is Tillandsia cyanea (A.Dietr) E.Morren
—See Barfuss et al. 2016 p. 48
Literature references:
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Comments:
- Tillandsia guatemalensis in Ritual Adornment by Virginia Guess and Robert Guess in J. Brom. Soc. 48(2): 69-73. 1998
The awesome sight of thousands of bromeliads in full flower that greets a first time visitor to a tropical forest translates into an everyday experience for those who make their home in such enchanting places. In highland Chiapas, Mexico, indigenous inhabitants pass daily under majestic trees laden with epiphytes, many species of which need further botanical descriptions. While local Maya Indians may collect colorful inflorescences to sell for a mere pittance in the markets of nearby towns, they otherwise ignore these plants except for the few they incorporate into their traditional rituals. The use of bromeliads for seasonal decoration is occasionally mentioned in the literature, but little attention has been given to their cultural aspects or the relationship that native dwellers have with their plant world. In this article, we focus on the role that one species of Bromeliaceae plays in what we call "ritual adornment." The term describes those plants that indigenous people gather from their natural habitats and incorporate according to prescribed rules into their religious ceremonies.
Every twenty days, a select group of Maya Indians leave their remote villages to search the nearby mountains for a certain plant. In their Tzotzil language, they hold the ceremonial title of cuch nichim, those with a given task (cuch) to gather flowers (nichim). Appointed for one year by a martoma (a steward of ritual knowledge or a religious official), they must supply the floral arrangements required in the performance of centuries-old rituals. These men are seeking a plant they know as tsajal ech', a bromeliad growing in the forests that surround their communal lands in the Municipio of San Juan Chamula.
In the Tzotzil language, ech' is a generic expression referring to epiphytes, bromeliads as well as orchids. Only selective plants that factor into their cultural practices receive a more descriptive term differentiating them according to color, shape, or function. These Maya Indians award barely a handful of the numerous species of Tillandsia that flourish in their environs with a more specific designation. In this case, they add the modifying word tsajal to distinguish the red leaves of a bromeliad they use almost exclusively to decorate the arches that delineate ceremonial sites. In contrast, other Tzotzil-speaking Maya in the nearby Municipio of Zinacantan also utilize the inflorescence of this same species to adorn their house crosses (krus) and other shrines. They call it krus ech'to denote the use rather than the plant's distinctive leaf color.
Tillandsia guatemalensis L.B. Smith is the botanical name for tsajal ech' or krus ech'. T. guatemalensis, a prolific epiphytic species found in oak-pine forests of southern Mexico and throughout Central America, is one of the more common tillandsias of the Chiapas Highlands. This moderately large plant with twenty-five to thirty strap-like leaves, 30 to 40 cm long and 3 to 4 cm wide, thrives in the moist habitats of cloud forests located between 1100 and 3 000 meters. The leaves form a dense crateriform rosette and change color from green, in low-light situations, to bright red or maroon when exposed to critical levels of sunlight. The tall, erect scape supports a multi-tiered inflorescence that often reaches over a meter in height. At maturity the bracts turn a startling bright red, and the branches of the inflorescence each bear from ten to twenty-five purple flowers. In spite of the striking inflorescence and colored leaves, however, the species has minimal horticultural value. Its method of reproduction, long developmental cycle, size at maturity, and the complex environmental conditions required for growth negate the plant's practicality in most commercial ventures.
T. guatemalensis is purported to be monocarpic, that is, it blooms once, develops, scatters seeds, and then dies without producing offsets. Field experience with these plants, however, suggests variations in this reproductive cycle, an observation that offers long-term study opportunities for students of this species. We have noted that in addition to producing seeds, many specimens of T. guatemalensis exhibit multiple axillary offsets as well as tiny offshoots or "grass" around their bases. Because of its abundance and accessibility in Chiapas, it is one of the primary bromeliads chosen for adornment by the Maya of San Juan Chamula. Established rules determine when they collect the plants, how they prepare the leaves, and when and where to use them. They often casually discard the dramatic inflorescence in deference to the leaves.
Just as the ancient Maya employed natural foliage to delineate a sacred locale, their descendants follow a similar custom. For example, the external appearances of the houses where the martomas of San Juan Chamula live are no different from other houses in the community: a simple one or two-room adobe structure with a tiled roof . What sets a house apart as a ceremonial site is a leaf-covered arch erected near the main doorway, and a room designated as a shrine to accommodate several statues of santos (saints). Inside, similar arches, only smaller in scale than the entry arch, surround the more important images. The cuch nichim construct these arches by binding several defoliated tree branches, 3 to 4 cm thick, shaped into a large arch by burying the ends 10 to 15 cm in the earth. Based on the Maya calendar that numbers the days according to a cycle of religious events, these arches must be refreshed with new foliage from T. guatemalensis every twenty days.
The cuch nichim set off at dawn, often in groups of two to four, equipped with machetes, rope, tump-lines, and hemp bags to collect the fifty to one hundred plants needed to completely cover each arch. Once they reach the forests where large numbers of the plants grow, they climb the trees to the upper limbs to select those exposed to sunlight. They choose only the plants whose leaves have attained the proper dark red hue, and sever them at the base to free the holdfast from the tree. The plants fall to the ground below to be sorted, cleaned and gathered later. When the men have harvested the necessary number, they cut away the inflorescences, remove the dead or dried leaves, and bundle only the choicest plants into bags. They then transport their load via tump-line to the martoma's house for storage until the designated day to refresh the arches.
At the appointed time, the cuch nichim converge to complete their task. They first strip the arches of the withered leaves of T. guatemalensis and deposit them in a designated place where the dead foliage accumulates to be composted later. They then dismantle the freshly collected plants and wash the leaves in the presence of the martoma who chants to the accompaniment of music played on traditionally made drums, harp, and violins. They meticulously select only the finest and most colorful leaves, usually those that grow near the center. These are then reassembled one-by-one on the arch by securing each leaf with hemp cord starting at the center of the arch and working to the base. When finished, the interlocking leaves resemble the original leafy structure of T. guatemalensis.
The men repeat this process until the required number of arches are adorned, often from seven to nine. Incense and explosions from homemade rockets herald the completion of each arch. When all are ready, they are arranged in a row before the martoma for the final chants, incense, and fireworks before they are ceremoniously installed. Only the largest arch covered with the leaves of T. guatemalensis is visible in front of the martoma's house. The smaller ones are hidden from public view in the sacrosanct place maintained for the santos. At the end of the annual ceremonial cycle, all leaves used on the arches during the year are returned to the earth when the cornfields are prepared for the next planting.
Since these rites are performed in private, the process in which bromeliads are incorporated as adornment is rarely recorded. Often when non-indigenous plant collectors venture into these areas, they see only the completed arches covered with leaves without recognizing the significance behind the display. Contextual information when describing species provides clues to the availability and abundance of those plants prized for ceremonial use. In addition, familiarity with regional plant names facilitates communication with the Indians who frequently provide the knowledge and labor required to locate and gather desired specimens.
Effects of Predation on Tillandsias: A Case from Chiapas by Robert Guess and Virginia Guess in J. Brom. Soc. 50(4): 147-151. 2000
David Benzing (1980) expressed little optimism when he speculated on the long-term future for naturally occurring species of Bromeliaceae. His apocalyptic predictions of diminishing habitats throughout the Western Hemisphere have proven alarmingly true. Even more accurate was his caveat that wildlife preserves established in the midst of developed areas were fraught with hazards, and thus not always a viable solution. Some startling changes observed in a large population of Tillandsia guatemalensis L.B. Smith growing within the confines of Reserva Huitepec confirm his warning, as well as illustrate the effects of increased predatory pressure on this species.
The one hundred and thirty-five-hectare ecological preserve on the outskirts of San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, was founded in 1986. Now managed by PRONATURA CHIAPAS, A.C., this swath of mostly primary and secondary growth oak forest ranges in altitude from 2100 to 2550 meters. The habitat supports 300 to 400 species of plants, some 100 species of resident and migratory birds, and several small animal species including squirrels, skunks, and raccoons (Rabasa Tovilla 1999). The relatively small census of epiphytic bromeliads is composed mostly of T. guatemalensis and Tillandsia vicentina, with some specimens of Tillandsia eizii, Tillandsia ponderosa, and Tillandsia leiboldiana.
Within the last several years, dwelling sites and small cultivated plots based on subsistence farming have replaced the high-altitude woodlands surrounding the Reserve. As a result, the corridors of natural habitat that once served as conduits for wildlife have slowly disappeared. Concomitant with this increasing isolation is an interruption in the fragile balance between the animals and plants that coexist within the protected zone.
During this period of changing land-use at the perimeters of the Reserve, we began to notice occasional damage to the inflorescences of T. guatemalensis. Some scapes were severed either midway along the rachis or close to the plant body. At the peak flowering season in 1999, however, we observed mutilation in nearly three-quarters of the inflorescences of T. guatemalensis, as well as in those of T. vicentina and T. leiboldiana. Also in some plants of T. eizii, the terminal spikes, which are exposed and easily reached early in inflorescence development, had been partially destroyed. In contrast, we noted no injury to the thick, robust inflorescences of T. ponderosa.
The culprit is the common gray squirrel, Sciurus aureogaster, a small arboreal mammal that makes its nest of leaves and twigs high in the canopy of the trees. The vegetarian diet of this agile climber consists of nuts, fruits, berries, insects, as well as the tender buds and shoots of plants (Alvarez del Toro 1991). Since the squirrels encounter none of their usual predators within the Reserve, namely large birds of prey, man, and other mammals, they have found a safe environment in which to live and reproduce. Now that the Reserve is cut off from other highland forests, the concentrated squirrel population has multiplied thus impacting their food source. One effect of this additional need for food is manifesting itself in an increased number of damaged or destroyed inflorescences of epiphytic bromeliads.
Plants of T. guatemalensis, which reproduce primarily by seeds and occasional offsets, appear to compensate for this stress by continuing to produce flowers and seeds, but in fewer numbers. Often a cluster of spikes emerges below the severed end of the rachis developing into a short, stunted inflorescence, far different from the usual erect, graceful scape. Although T. guatemalensis remains one of the more abundant species of Bromeliaceae within the Reserve, it is unpredictable how long the species can sustain itself given the continuation of this predatory pressure. On the other hand, the predation seems to have a lesser effect on T. vicentina, as this species reproduces by seeds as well as multiple offsets that form large aggregates of plants. The greater impact may be on T. eizii, since this species, known to reproduce only by seeds and incidental adventitious offsets, is already in decline within the Reserve.
Although Benzing suggested that the future for bromeliads rests in the specialized greenhouses and gardens of skilled hybridizers and horticulturists, nevertheless, wildlife sanctuaries still offer the potential for the development and preservation of natural species. Certain predators, however, may become an important factor in the ultimate survival of those plants dependent on protected habitats. Our observations, limited to only a few species, verify that interdependence of plants and animals can be adversely affected by changes in land use surrounding ecological reserves. To this end, Reserva Huitepec may offer a natural laboratory to study the long-term effects on species when biological highways are closed. —See Smith & Downs 1977
