NOMENCLATURE CLARIFICATION No. 9 BILLBERGIA HORRIDA Regel var. tigrina Hort. by Mulford B. Foster in Brom Soc Bull 6: 77. 1956
This interesting variety of Billbergia is by no means horrid but it does have leaf margin spines which are certainly very prominent. Actually it is a very interesting and showy plant.
Billbergia horrida was first introduced into cultivation by Riedel to the St. Petersburg Garden (Russia) where it first flowered in 1856 and was described by Regel and was first published in 1858 in the Berlin Gartenzeitung in 1858. Morren then published a fine colored plate of the species in La Belgique Horticole, 1876, p. 336, Vol. 22. Morren also made a drawing of B. horrida var. tigrina which is in the Morren collection at Kew and was listed by Baker as a variety in his Handbook in 1889.
The original description and plate show the plant to be green with rather indistinct grey bands but Baker published the var. tigrina in 1889 based on an unpublished drawing by Morren.
This striking plant described by Baker as "Leaves brown, copiously banded with white on the back" has been considered simply as a synonym by Mez and Smith.
In 1939 and 1940, while collecting in Brazil, we took both the green phase and the deep maroon-brown phase in Espirito Santo. I had always considered them distinct color varieties. In fact one would be inclined to pass by the green variety, as var. tigrina is so superior in every way.
We find that this B. horrida var. tigrina is quite a free bloomer and while the flowers are interesting they could hardly be called beautiful: Almost transparent green with a fleck of blue, they are fragrant at night which is possibly an unique attribute among the Billbergias.
A large cluster plant of this variety growing on the trunk of a tree in full light is a very stunning sight with its silver grey bands on maroon-brown leaves. (Brom Soc Bull)