The Type plant, that flowered in our collection in 1993 , had violet petals. Also a plant, that we had received from Rudolf Wulfinghoff, flowered violet in Spring 1993.
In May 1996 a plant came into flower and I was more than surprised to find it had greenish yellow petals.
We were quite sure that only one species of Rock-Tillandsia grew at the type locality near Zacualpan. How could it be that once the plant flowered violet and once green?
Prehistory:
It is very astonishing that after so long a delay, the plant is now finally described. It has been long known that the problem lies in the different petal colour. Already in Richter's "Brome liaceen: Zimmerpflanzen von heute und morgen", is a photo of Rudolf Wulfmghoff portrayed on page 336, which shows T. zacualpanensis at the type locality. The caption says: Tillandsia is even growing on rocks: T. tricolor in Mexico. The plant had already been collected in 1970 by Wulfinghoff on the route between Ixtapan de la Sal and Zacualpan, was not yet recognized only known at that time as "new".
Also Dr. Jurg Rutschmann from Basel told Klaus and me of this beautiful plant and showed us photos, he also gave us a slide of a plant on a rock near Zacualpan, which he had taken in 1989. He thought it is was T. thyrsigera, but the plant looked different to the plants that we had collected in the Valle de Bravo and doubtless had been identified as T. thyrsigera. In 1992 Rudolf Wulfinghoff gave us a plant which had been mentioned in Richter's book. All this made us curious, so we decided to look for the plant ourseles at the location.
On our trip to Mexico in the March 1993 we finally came to this area. Already we were at the end of our trip; at day 25. we drive from Ixtapan de la Sal in the direction of Zacualpan. We are happy that we find the rock without difficulties: I has noted in the trip-diary: "16.00 hrs, 34 °C in the shade, 27% humidity, at the car 1806 m s. m., find species Wulfinghoff, however dreadful thorn bushes "!
As it is we come back from the rocks in the evening. In Zacualpan, there is a nice hotel, but it is market-day and there are no vacant rooms. But while we were eating in the charming small restaurant at the High street we asked where we could stay overnight, the Senora offered us a room in her home. It was a gigantic room with a large bed and many, many dolls of all sizes and hideous. But we are glad that we have a roof over our heads. Unfortunately there is another big shock, I had not tightly closed the bottle of disinfectant for Klaus' foot; it was a black-violet tincture - and had run everywhere in our clothes- indelible colour! We pay 60 Pesos for the room and 35 pesos for the simple breakfast without eggs , that is approximately double that in Ixtapan in a high class hotel. But she says kindly: " somos pobres pero muy carinosas ",(we are poor but very affectionate), as she collects the money, so that my protest remains unsaid.
Another reason why we wanted to drive around Zacualpan was to find a plant that we had never seen in any collection or botanical garden: —SeeDie Bromelie
