Mezobromelia hutchisonii (L.B.Sm.) W.Weber & L.B.Sm.

Literature references:

FCBS (Web) J. Bromeliad Soc.: 33:122h 42:21dc NY Bot. Garden Rauh 1977: 21:6bd Smith & Downs 1977: 733 U.S. Nat. Herb.

Comments:

• Article by Weber and Smith in Journ. Brom. Soc. 33(3): 121-2. 1983
  It started when Weber examined the Bromeliaceae of Herbarium of the University of Leipzig (LZ) collected in Peru over the last ten years by the Director of the Division of Taxonomy and Geobotany, Dr. Gerd Mueller, and collaborators. By the key in Flora Neotropica, 14 (2): 671. 1977, he identified the specimen Gutte & Lopez 3532 as Tillandsia hutchisonii L.B. Smith. However, dissection of the only well preserved flower showed that its petals were joined in a tube and that each bore two fimbriate scales, thus proving its identity with Mezobromelia. Comparison with the species already described in Mezobromelia showed obvious agreement with M. trollii Rauh of 1977.
  
  Learning of this, Smith enlisted the aid of Alice Tangerini, the staff artist of the Botany Department, and she was able to confirm the characters of Mezobromelia in the type of Tillandsia hutchisonii although the best flower was in bad condition. Thus the identity of the two species was confirmed necessitating the following new combination on the basis of priority:
  Basionym: Tillandsia hutchisonii L.B. Smith Phytologia 13: 145 pl. 6 figs. 23, 24 (1966).
  Synonym: Mezobromelia trollii Rauh in Bromelienstudien 7., Acad. Wiss. & Lit. Mainz p. 5- 10, Abb. 1, 2, 3, 3a (1977).
  Typus: Rauh 40104 (Holotypus HElD, Isotypus US). Bergwald am Rio Sonche, 2000 - 2400 m, epiphytisch, zwischen Chachapoyas und Mendoza (km 552-555), Dptm. Amazonas, NE-Peru.
  Collaterally examined material:
  P. Gutte & J. Lopez G. no.3532 (LZ, Duplicate, SMF, WEB 576) Peru, Dpto. Amazonas, Prov. Chachapoyas, Aufstieg zur Legia oberhalb Pipus, Epiphyt in der Ceja, 1700msm., 31.8.1974.
  
  The above case establishes the possibility that eventually still other large Andean Tillandsia species that were based on herbarium material may prove to belong to Mezobrome/ia. Therefore we recommend that collectors in the field examine fresh flowers to verify it as in the previous case they were wrongly described as Tillandsia. —See Smith & Downs 1977