Tillandsia atroviridipetala var. yagulensis Ehlers
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- Notes
A number of collections deviate in growth pattern, size and width of the leaves so strongly from the type specimen of Tillandsia atroviridipetala Matuda, that these plants should be considered as a variety of their own.
On the steep rocks in Oaxaca, rarely on large cereus, plants grow which form a clear stem with age, and can reach 15 cm in length. It can be assumed that these long-stemmed forms are already many decades old. Specimens in cultivation grow very slowly indeed. In diameter, this form is virtually as large as Tillandsia plumosa, the leaves are however only appressed and not feathery scaled and correspond to T. atroviridipetala in the form of the scales. Since these plants occur very near at the excavations near Yagul, it is often marked in collections as Tillandsia atroviridipetala ‘Yagul-Form’.
Espejo et al. (2004) lists these plants in his Checklist of the Mexican Bromeliaceae as Tillandsia mauryana. One of the places of discovery is quoted as Tlacolula which is close to Yagul. On our trip in March 2005 with Jurgen and Uli Lautner and Manfred Kretz, we drove to Tlacolula to determine what tillandsias grow there. And indeed, we could see the small silvery stars on the rocks and we were also able to reach them. The plants resembled the Yagul plants, as we expected.
Another tillandsia, growing on rocks near Petatlan is much larger and has wider leaves than the type specimen. Although no long caulescent plants could be found, like near Yagul, but after years of cultivation in my collection the plants from both locations looked almost completely alike. Since however the inflorescence corresponds to Tillandsia atroviridipetala, and moreover the leaves are hardly half as wide as with T. mauryana, I would like to treat this plants as a new variety of T. atroviridipetala.
Cultivation The requirements are comparable with those of T. atroviridipetala var. atroviridipetala, but slightly warmer. —See Die Bromelie
