Aechmea haltonii Luther had the misfortune of being introduced into horticulture under the wrong name. In the fall of 1987, seedlings of A. haltonii (grown from the type collection) were distributed to judges and helpers at the Sarasota Bromeliad Society show as A. pittieri, a totally dissimilar aechmea. It was not until 1990 that I realized how badly I had misinterpreted the original specimen and that I had a rather distinctive, new species on my hands. A description and illustration were eventually published but this did little to solve the problem of all the now-mature A. haltonii (labeled A. pittieri) specimens proliferating in collections and being sold and traded around the world. I hope that this note and photograph will clear up the identification problem.
Aechmea haltonii is a colorful, medium-to-large, epiphytic and lithophytic plant known from two collections in central Panama. Culture suitable for such species as A. bracteata or A. mexicana is required. —SeeLuther 1994dp. 44(2): 52
