Encyclopedia of Bromeliads

Genus Notes:

The center of diversity of Barfussia seems to be northern Peru and southern Ecuador and only one species, B. laxissima, is solely known from the Deptos. La Paz and Santa Cruz from Bolivia. The specimens known from Ecuador, which are identified as B. laxissima, actually belong to B. moorei (photographs of living material by José M. Manzanares are confirming this, herbarium specimens at MO). Barfussia platyrhachis is also reported from Bolivia (two specimens, n.v.). Barfussia moorei and B. platyrhachis are probably the largest species in the genus, but B. robusta has the largest flowers (see Fig. 12, which shows the rosette and lower part of the inflorescence of Barfussia robusta in comparison to the upper part of inflorescence of Barfussia moorei). Barfussia platyrhachis can be up to 2 m tall as stated in the protolog (original description) of Tillandsia platyrhachis var. magnifica Rauh & von Bismarck (1985), a taxon not recognized by Barfuss et al. (2016). I agree on this, because its size is very variable as well as the density of the spikes with floral bracts imbricate at anthesis to flowers remote at anthesis (see also the title page of the current issue; the same is true for B. wagneriana). Another variety, T. platyrhachis var. alba Rauh & Hirtz (1985) was not recognized by Luther & Sieff (1994) without argumentation and is also not accepted by Barfuss et al. (2016). My knowledge about this plant is not sufficient enough at this moment to have an opinion about that.

Jeffrey Kent recently showed me some photographs of a specimen from the Alto Mayo region (northern Peru) that resembles Barfussia moorei, but looks different again, having smaller rosettes with more narrow leaves and more elongate inflorescences with white flowers. It looks more like a huge B. laxissima and is probably a new species too.

Barfussia platyrhachis seems to have a wider distribution in Ecuador (Provs. Morona-Santiago, Sucumbíos, Napo and Zamora- Chinchipe) and is known from Peru only from the Deptos. San Martín and Junín. From Colombia it is only known from the type locality (Depto. Antioquia) and two specimens are reported from Bolivia, both from La Paz (Krömer 199, Croat 84351, both stored at MO, n.v.). The far less large, but similar B. wagneriana seems to have a larger distribution in Peru in the Deptos. Amazonas, Loreto, San Martín, Pasco, and Cuzco, and is found in Ecuador only in the Prov. Zamora-Chinchipe. (from Gouda 2021a)