Tillandsia capillaris Ruiz & Pav.

Taxonomic Change:

• Lectotypification: PERU. Huánuco: without exact locality, 1778–1788, Ruiz & Pavón s.n. (BM 000923923) [syntypes: B –W-06336-010, BM 000923922 , BM 000923925, F 0361001F, MA 810425, MA 810426, MA 810427, MA 810428, P 00753185] —See Rossado et al. 2024 p. 30

Literature references:

BSA (Web) Castellanos 1945: 112d ,114d ,119d ,120 Castello & Galetto 2013 Castello et al. 2016: 391-414 Castello et al. 2020: 726–743 Die Bromelie: 2008:128 Die Bromelie 2/89: 1989:32 FCBS (Web) Hieronymus 1885: 3 Ibisch & Vasquez 2000 Isley III 2009: 183 J. Bromeliad Soc.: 16:34b 24:23b,175b 35:161b 40:66 Pinto & Kirberg 2005: 14, 16, 17, 42, 53, 53, 59 Rauh 1981, 1990: Fig. 30 Roguenant 2001: 256 Ruiz & Pavon 1802b: 271 Seringer 2022: 11 Shimizu & Takizawa 1998: 38 Smith & Downs 1977: 892,894,897: 893*: 893*: 893*: 893*: 894*: 894*: 894*: 894*: 895*: 895*: 896*: 896*: 896* U.S. Nat. Herb.

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Comments:

• T. capillaris s. l. is divided into 5 groups, are systematically not quite equal. Group 1 (capillarls s. str.) and group 2 (pusilla = hieronymi) seem linked and are close to Group 3 (permutata) and group 4 (incana). Group 3 is also divided into 2 subgroups (a: = permutata and b: HR 5174, WT 909, WT 881, WT 912, WT 977, HR 7101d, HR 5109d, HR = 9120, HR 7187 aff. permutata. This outline is tentative and no taxonomic consequences are drawn. We reserve the right to make further investigations. Group 5, see there!
  Group 1. T. capillaris s. str. (incl. lanuginosa and capillaris forma typical; Drawings 55 and 57)
  Plant short stemmed, few branched.
  Leaves distichous, 3-5 cm long, mostly bent open, ca. 1.5 mm Ø, dense grey scaled;
  Sheath scaled in the visible part;
  Blade linear awl-like, soft, round in cross section,
  Peduncle distinct, 3-5 cm long, glabrous, without bract;
  Inflorescence mostly 1-flowered, seldom 2-flowered;
  Flower bract suborbicular or ovate rounded, mostly with short blade, glabrous, 7 (-9)-nerved, 4-4.5 (-5.8) mm long, 3.8-4.5 mm wide, (3-) 5 ribbed ( including midrib) near the tip joined together;
  Sepals broad lineal, mostly in the middle, seldom above the middle at its widest, the tip wide rounded or seldom blunt tipped, glabrous, the posterior pair to 1/3 connate, anterior shorter connate, 5-nerved, 4.7 -6 mm long, 1.7-2.1 mm wide, seldom with few raphides,
  Petals narrow lanceolate to tongue shaped, with round tip, at its broadest at the middle or a little above, 5-nerved, 6.8-8 (-8.8) mm long, 1.2-1.5 (-1.7) mm wide, with raphides, yellow.
  Anthers 0.9-1.4 (-1.8) mm long, 0.2-0.25 mm Ø; Filament whitish, basifixed, 1-nerved, 0.1-0.15 mm wide;
  Ovary inverted conical cylindric, quickly narrowing to the style, 1.7-2.1 mm long, 0.9-1.1 mm Ø, Style about ½-2/3 as long as the ovary and about 1/3 as wide; Stigma flat capitate, almost as wide as the style, Gynoecium 2.5-2.8 (-3.2) mm long.
  
  Range; SE Ecuador over the Andes to the Andes of Peru and Bolivia and isolated in N Argentina and in Prov. Cordoba.
  
  Group 2: T. pusilla (incl. hieronymi, capillaris forma hieronymi, lichenoides, lichenoides var. hieronymi and propinqua sensu Grisebach 1874) Drawings 58, 60, 61, 63, 65, and 67.
  Plant small, short or very short stemmed, 2-7 (-7) cm long
  Leaves densely distichous, straight, dense grey scaled
  Sheath evidently glabrous or almost glabrous,
  Blade round in cross section, 1-1.5 mm Ø, 1-2 (-2.5) cm long, soft
  Peduncle missing or very short ( to 1 cm), glabrous,
  Inflorescence 1- flowered, very seldom 2-flowered
  Flower bracts broad oval, with entirely short blade, glabrous, (3-) 5 (-8)-nerved, (0-) 3 (-4) ribs nearly bundled together at the tip, (3-)4.1-4.8 (-6) mm long, (2.6-) 3.2-3.8 (-4.4) mm wide
  Sepals broad lanceolate, rounded at the tip or seldom blunt tipped, glabrous, posterior pair ¼-1/3 connate, anterior somewhat a little connate, 3 (-5)-nerved, widest below the middle, (3.7-) 5-6.2 (-6.9) mm long, (1.3-) 1.5-1,6 mm wide, seldom with a few raphides,
  Petals tongue shaped to narrow spoon shaped, broadest in the upper 1/3 ( seldom ± in the middle), tip rounded, 3-5-nerved, (6.8-) 7.9-8.9 (-10.9) mm long, (1-) 1.3-1.5 (-1.7) mm wide, with raphides, yellowish
  Anthers 0.9-1.3 (-1.9) mm long, 0.15-0.25 mm Ø, Filament basifixed, whitish, 1-nerved, (2-) 2.6-3.1 (-3.6) mm long, 0.1 mm wide,
  Ovary inverted conical cylindrical, quickly narrowing to the style, (1-) 1.5-2 (-2.3) mm long, 0.7-0.9 mm Ø, Style a pillar, ½-2/3 as long as the ovary and about 1/3 as wide, Stigma flat capitate, about as wide as the style; Gynoecium (1.7-) 2.4-2.9 (-3.6) mm long.
  
  Range; Isolated in mid and S Peru, abundant in Central Bolivia and all in N and Mid Argentina
  
  Group 3a: T. permutata ( Drawings 68, 70, 71, 73, 74, 75, and 76)
  Plant short or very short stemmed, not or very little branched 1.5! – 10 cm long,
  Leaves densely imbricate distichous, straight or a little bent over, not pungent, ± soft;
  Sheath ovate, visible portion scaled,
  Blade round in cross-section, dense ± appressed scaled, 1.5-2.5 mm Ø, 1-2 cm long
  Peduncle almost always missing or at the most very short and glabrous,
  Inflorescence 1-2-flowered, mostly at the top
  Flower bracts broad oval to suborbicular, with short blade, glabrous, 5-7 (-12)-nerved, (3.5-) 4-5.3 (-6.2) mm long, (3.4-) 4-4.7 (-5.5) mm wide, (0-) 3 (-5) ribbed bundled together at the tip,
  Sepals broad lanceolate, mostly clear widest below the middle, the tip broad rounded or blunt tipped, glabrous, posterior pair ¼-1/3 (-1/2) connate, posterior less, sometimes with raphides, (4.7-) 5.7-6.8 (-7.2) mm long, (1.4-) 2-2.6 mm wide
  Petals tongue shaped, from base to tip either ± the same width or the upper 1/3 somewhat constricted and with ± broad oval platte or the upper 1/3 in a broad oval platte, the tip rounded, with raphides, (3-) 5 (-7)- nerved, (6.7-) 8.1-10.3 (-11.8) mm long, (1.1-) 1.4-2 (-2.3) mm wide, yellow or seldom light brownish
  Anthers (0.9-) 1.2-1.7 (-2.1) mm long, 0.2- 0.4 mm Ø, Filament basifixed (seldom ± basifixed), whitish, 1-nerved, 2.8-3.7 (-4.1) mm long, 0.1-0.15 mm wide;
  Ovary rounded inverted ovate cylindric, quickly narrowing to the style, 1.7-2.3 (-2.6) mm long, (0.9-) 1.1-1.3 (-1.6) mm Ø, style sturdy, a pillar, 1/2 (-2/3) as long and about 1/3 as wide as the ovary; Stigma flat, as wide as the style; Gynoecium 2.5 -3.2 (-3.6) mm long.
  
  Range; Isolated in Central and S Bolivia, N to Mid Argentina in the Andes and in the Prov, Buenos Aires
  
  Group 3b; T. aff. permutata ( Drawings 77, 78, and 79)
  Plant very similar to Group 3a
  Leaves to 3 mm Ø, succulent
  Peduncle short
  Flower bracts broad ovate, with short blade, widest near the base, glabrous, seldom in the area of the nerves ( or wholely) scaled, often with raphides, (6-) 9-12-nerved, (4.1-) 5-8.2 (-9.2) mm long, (4.5-) 4.8-6.5 (-7.1) mm wide,
  Sepals broad lanceolate, blunt tipped or seldom broad rounded, glabrous, with raphides, 1/3-1/2 posterior pair connate, anterior ¼ connate, (5-) 6-8-nerved, (6-) 6.8-10 (-11.2) mm long, (2.2-) 2.5-3 (-3.3) mm wide,
  Petals spoon shaped, upper 2/5 a clear long oval platte, the tip broad rounded, with raphides, 5-7-nerved, 10.5-12.8 mm long, 2.5-3.1 (-3.9) mm wide, light violet or white
  Anthers (1.3-) 1.8-2.4 mm long, 0.25-0.4 mm Ø, Filament basifixed or almost basifixed, whitish, 1-nerved, (3-) 3.6-4.4 mm long, 0.15 mm wide,
  Ovary inverted ovate cylindric, quickly narrowing to style, (1.9-) 2.3-2.7 mm long, (1.3-) 1.5-1.7 (-1.9) mm Ø; Style sturdy, a pillar, ½-2/3 as long and 1/3 as wide as the ovary; Stigma flat, as wide as the style; Gynoecium (3.1-) 3.5-3.9 mm long.
  
  Range; Local in SE Bolivia ( HR5174 and HR 9120) and N Argentina ( Salta, HR7187)
  
  Group 4: T. incana ( incl. capillaris var incana, capillaris forma incana, and propinqua var saxicola) Drawings 64, 72, and 82
  Plant short stemmed, 4-7 cm long, almost always branched.
  Leaves densely distichous, mostly bent second, bent in front of the stem, 1-1.5 cm long;
  Sheath in the visible part scaled
  Blade round in cross section, densely ± appressed scaled, 1-1.5 mm Ø;
  Peduncle missing or short and glabrous;
  Inflorescence almost always 1-flowered;
  Flower bracts broad suborbicular, with short blade, glabrous, 5-nerved, (2-) 3 ribs bundled together near the tip, 3.5-4.8 (-7.2) mm long, 3.6-4.4 mm wide,
  Sepals broad lanceolate, tip broad rounded, widest at the lower 1/3, glabrous, seldom with raphides, posterior pair ½-2/3 connate, anterior ¼-1/3 connate, 3-5-nerved, 4.5-5 (-7) mm long, 1.6-2.3 mm wide,
  Petals tongue shaped, with raphides, the tip broad round, widest mostly in the lower1/3, seldom in the upper 1/3 a little wider, (3-) 5-nerved, 6.3-7.6 (-10) mm long, 1.3-1.8 mm wide, light yellow, seldom with violet flecks;
  Anther 1.1-1.5 (-2) mm long, 0.2-0.3 mm Ø, Filament basifixed, whitish, 1-nerved, (2,4-) 2.7-3.1 mm long, 0.1 mm wide;
  Ovary inverted conical cylindric, quickly narrowing to the style, 1.5-1.9 mm long, 0.8-1 (-1.3) mm Ø, style a pillar, (1/2-) 2/3 as long and 1/3 as wide as the ovary; Stigma flat, as wide as the style; Gynoecium 2.3-2.8 mm long.
  
  Range; very isolated in Central and S Bolivia, Andes of N and mid Argentina, Sierra de Cordoba and in the Prov. Buenos Aires ( Sierra de Tandil)
  
  Group 5:
  This group represents a summary of all documents known to be associated with the smaller previous group, that are heterogeneous. It is a temporary measure.
  Peru; Junin, Tarma, 3000-3200 msm, 20.-22. IV. 1929, Killip. & Smith 21785(NY!); Argentina : Tucuman, alrededores de la Ciudad de Tucuman, 26.9. 1922, Venturi s. n. (B!); Jujuy, Capital, 5 km E of Jujuy, 1250 msm, 4.10. 1938, Eyerdam & Beetle 22419 (GH!; left over from Group 2). —See Till 1984 p. 113-23 re:nomenclature, p.135 re: taxonomy