Tillandsia tomasellii De Luca, Sabato & Balduzzi

Taxonomic Change:

• Treated as a synonym of Tillandsia xerographica Rohweder —See Gardner 1984a p. 374
• T. tomasellii is on a polytomy with several other species which means that its relationship is not resolved. However, the two samples of T. xerographica have a short branch of their own which means that they share a few nucleotid characters which are lacking in T. tomasellii. This may be used as an argument to separate T. tomaselli from T. xerographica as a separate taxon. —See Castro et al. 2009 p. 215

Literature references:

BSA (Web) FCBS (Web)

Comments:

• Notes
  In 1969, in the course of a botanical expedition to Mexico organized by Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (Italy) , we collected numerous living specimens of Tillandsia by Rio Hondo, Oaxaca. These specimens, grown in a greenhouse in the Naples Botanical Garden (Italy), have flowered many times. Their examination allowed us to state they belonged to a new species. —See Lasser & Maguire 1950
• Specimens collected at the type localities for T. kruseana and T. tomasellii were compared to cultivated plants of T. xerographica collected in Guatemala and with a photograph of Rohweder 157. No character distinctions were found to support the maintenance of T. kruseana or T. tomasellii as separate species (Gardner, 1982). All the specimens examined shared narrow, laterally flexed claviform branches, polished, nerved floral bracts and lavender petals. The leaves of specimens from Rio Hondo, Oaxaca tend to be less contorted than those of specimens from Guatemala or Rincon de la Via, Guerrero. —See Gardner 1984b p. 374