Tillandsia lajensis
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Tillandsia lajensis
Formerly Tillandsia ampla

Ken Woods 05/07 ex Ron Farrugia as ampla
Ken Woods 04/08
Ian Hook 04/07 as ampla
Ian Hook 04/4
Bryan Atkins 02/21 as T. Samantha
Bruce Dunstan 04/24



Tillandsia lajensis Andre, Enum. Bromel. 7. 13 Dec 1888; Rev. Hortic. 60: 567. 16 Dec 1888.
The following were made synonyms in DeRebus II 1997
Tillandsia ampla Mez & Sodiro ex Mez, Bull. Herb. Boiss. II. 4: 1134. 1904.
Tillandsia arcuans L. B. Smith, Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 29: 436 fig. 41, d, e. 1951.
Tillandsia arcuans var naundorffii Gilmartin, Phytologia 16: 158. 1968.
Descriptions from S&D p701, p750-1, and p754
Leaves to 7 dm long; blades linear-lanceolate, acute, 45 mm wide, glabrous.
Scape slightly curved, very stout;
Scape-bracts imbricate, foliaceous, minutely lepidote. InfloresĀ¬cence very laxly bipinnate;
Primary bracts lance-ovate, acuminate, shorter than the spikes, suberect;
Spikes spreading, short-stipitate, broadly ovate, acute, 10 cm long, 6 cm wide, dense, strongly complanate.
Floral bracts ovate, acute, 45 mm long, much exceeding the sepals, strongly carinate, even, glabrous.
Sepals free, oblong, acute, 30 mm long, the posterior carinate;
Petals linear, violet, slightly exceeding the stamens.
Type. Andre 3477 (holotype K, US photo, isotype NY), La Laja, near Ipiales, 2900 m alt., Narino, Colombia, 1 Jun 1876.
DISTRIBUTION. Known from the type collection only.

From Gilmartin in Bromeliaceae of Ecuador 1972
32. Tillandsia lajensis Andre, 1888 (Enumeration Bromel.) p. 7; Andre 1889, pp. 88-89, pl. 31b; Smith, 1957, p. 111.
PLANT estimated 60 cm tall;
LEAVES to 70 cm long, blades 4.5 crn wide, blades narrowly lingulate, glabrous(?);
SCAPE slightly curved, ca. 1.5 cm in diameter;
SCAPE-BRACTS ca. 15-20 cm long by 3.0 cm wide, imbricate, apex reflexed; INFLORESCENCE ca. 15 cm in diameter, bipinnate, lax;
PRIMARY BRACTS 3.0-5.0 cm long, suberect, apex acuminate, distance between ca. 3.0-4.0 cm;
SPIKES 7.0-10.0 cm long by 5.0-6.0 cm wide, elliptic, spreading at nearly right angles to rhachis;
FLORAL BRACTS 4.5 cm long by ca. 2.2 cm wide, erect, imbricate, apex acute, carinate. not or scarcely nerved, glabrous without, much exceeding sepals;
SEPALS 3.0 cm long, free, oblong;
PETALS linear, violet, slightly exceeding stamens, distance between flowers ca. 5 mm.
MATERIAL EXAMINED: Andre 3477 (K, TYPE; US, photo) Colombia near Ipiales, ca. 2900 m, 1876. COLOMBIA.
NOTES: This species although not yet reported for Ecuador is certain to be found there. The type collection site is just north of the Colombia-Ecuador border. The plant is most striking for its very broad spikes, which appear to be nearly as broad as long and which spread out sharply from the rhachis.

Tillandsia ampla Mez & Sodiro ex Mez, Bull. Herb. Boiss. II. 4: 1134. 1904.
Desc from S&D p754-5
Plant flowering 6-10 dm high.
Leaves rosulate, 6 dm long;
Sheaths ovate-elliptic, very large, brown, densely and minutely lepidote;
Blades narrowly triangular, 4-7 cm wide, rigid when dry, covered with appressed cinereous scales.
Scape erect, stout, terete, subglabrous;
Scape-bracts erect, foliaceous, much exceeding the internodes.
Inflorescence erect, much exceeding the leaves, bipinnate; axes glabrous;
Primary bracts rigid, much shorter than the spikes, the lower triangular with foliaceous decurved green blades, the upper ovate-elliptic, acute;
Spikes arching-decurved, stipitate with 1-2 sterile bracts at base, sublanceolate, acuminate, 19 cm long, 3 cm wide, 14-flowered, complanate.
Floral bracts densely imbricate, covering the rhachis and exceeding the sepals, 45 mm long, carinate, straight and nerved toward apex, sublustrous;
Flowers subsessile.
Sepals equally subfree, lance-elliptic, narrowly obtuse, chartaceous, glabrous outside, punctulate-lepidote inside, nerved, the posterior carinate;
Petals 47 mm long;
Stamens included.
Type. Sodiro 171/37 (holotype B, F photo 11476), Cerro Cinguiltina, Province (?), Ecuador.
DISTRIBUTION. Terrestrial, Ecuador. ECUADOR. PICHINCHA: Chilibulo to La Magdalena, 28 Sep 1928, Firmin 717 (F); km 15, Quito to Otavalo, Aug 1965, Gilmartin 1081 (US).

From Gilmartin in Bromeliaceae of Ecuador 1972
33. Tillandsia ampla Mez and Sodiro, 1904 (Bull. Herb. Boiss. series 2, vol. -1) p.1134; Mez, 1935, p.534.
PLANT 60-100 cm tall;
LEAVES 40-60 cm long, blades 4.0-7.0 cm wide, lingulate-triangular, apex attenuate, densely lepidote beneath, scales moderately appressed, sheath 18-20 cm long, purple when alive;
SCAPE ca. 2.0 cur in diameter, erect;
SCAPE-BRACTS imbricate, erect;
INFLORESCENCE ca. 35 cm long by 15-20 cm in diameter, bipinnate, glabrous, ellipsoid-cylindric having 6-8 spikes;
PRIMARY BRACTS 5.0-19.0 cm long, spreading, apes acute to caudate, glabrous;
SPIKES 5.5-10.0 cm long by ca. 3.5 cm wide at anthesis, ca. 5.5 cm apart, spreading to reflexed, having ca. 10 flowers per spike, stipe 1.0-3.0 cm long with 1 sterile bract;
FLORAL BRACTS 4.0-4.5 cm long by ca. 2.5 cm wide, elliptic-ovate, erect, imbricate, apex acute, slightly to strongly nerved, glabrous without, densely lepidote within;
SEPALS ca. 3.0 cm long by 6-8 mm wide elliptic, broadly acute-obtuse, posteriorly carinate, free, nerved, subglabrous without, lepidote within;
PETALS ca. 4.7 cm long;
OVARY ca. 7 mm long by 3 mm in diameter.
MATERIAL EXAMINED: Sodiro 17/37 (GH, 1SOTYPE) Cerro Cinguiltina, Prov.(?); Couthouy s. n. (GH) "Quitensian Andes"; AJG 1081 (US) terrestrial, km 15 Quito-Otavalo, Prov. Pichincha, Aug. 1965.

Tillandsia arcuans L. B. Smith, Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 29: 436 fig. 41, d, e. 1951.
From S&D
Plant stemless, flowering 6-8 dm long.
Leaves numerous in a funnelform rosette, 25-50 cm long, covered with appressed, cinereous brown-centered scales;
Sheaths elliptic, 25 cm long, 10 cm wide, deep maroon;
Blades attenuate, flat, 2-5 cm wide, green.
Scape arching-decurved, 15 mm thick;
Scape-bracts densely imbricate, the lower foliaceous, the upper elliptic, deep maroon, bearing a short attenuate recurved green blade.
Inflorescence compact at apex,
Primary bracts like the upper scape-bracts, many times shorter than the spikes;
Spikes few, pendulous, lance-oblong, acute, strongly complanate, 9-17 cm long, 2.5-5 cm wide, densely 13-17 flowered.
Floral bracts broadly elliptic, acute, 4 cm long, exceeding the sepals, carinate, coriaceous, glabrous, lustrous, yellow-green with maroon-red margins;
Pedicels stout, 4 mm long.
Sepals elliptic, to 32 mm Iong, free, carinate, thin-coriaceous, sparsely lepidote;
Petals 6 cm long, blade deep purple;
Stamens included.

Tillandsia arcuans var arcuans
Rhachis internodes 5 mm long.
Floral bracts to 55 mm long, 33 mm wide.
Type. Foster 2266 (holotype GH, isotype COL), on perpendicular rocks of El Canon de Naciento del Diablo, below El Espinal, Narino, Colombia, 29 Nov 1946.
DISTRIBUTION. Saxicolous and terrestrial, 2800-3900 m alt, southern Colombia, Ecuador.
ECUADOR. IMBABURA: Guallabambilla to Hacienda Pecillo, 29.Jun 1944, Drew E-299 (US); Cuicocha, 10 Apr 1956, Asplund 20223 (S). PICHINCHA: Pifo, east of Quito, 19 Feb 1931, Benoist 3917 (P); 31 Oct 1955, Asplund 18255 (S, US).

Tillandsia arcuans var naundorffii Gilmartin, Phytologia 16: 158. 1968.
Rhachis internodes 9 mm long.
Floral bracts 38-40 mm long, 23 mm wide.
Type. Naundorff s n (holotype US), quebrada near Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador, 26 Jun 1963, cult. Marnier-Lapostolle.
DISTRIBUTION. Known from the type collection only.

From Gilmartin in Bromeliaceae of Ecuador 1972
Tillandsia arcuans L. B. Smith, 1951 (Contrb. U. S. Nat. Herb. vol. 29, no. 10) p. 436, fig. 41.
PLANT to 1 m tall or more;
LEAVES 25-70 cm long, blade 2.0-5.5 cm wide, lingulate, apex acute to attenuate, appressed lepidote below, shiny scales above,
sheaths ca. 25 cm long by 9.0-10.0 cm wide, dark brown above when dry, elliptic;
SCAPE arching-decurved, 0.9-1.5 cm in diameter;
SCAPE BRACTS 12-35 cm long, erect with apices reflexed, imbricate throughout, foliaceous below;
INFLORESCENCE 10-20 cm long by ca. 7.0-20.0 cm in diameter, few branched subdigitate, glabrous;
PRIMARY BRACTS 4.5-6.5 cm long, apex attenuate, much shorter than spikes, spreading, distance between 2.5-5.5 cm;
SPIKES 7.0-25.0 cm long by 2.5-5.0 cm wide, secund, erect to nodding, having 12 to 17 flowers, stipe 1.0-2.5 cm long having up to 3 sterile bracts;
FLORAL BRACTS 3.8-5.0 cm long by 2.3-3.3 cm wide, erect, imbricate, elliptic, apex sharply acute, exceeding sepals, carinate, coriaceous, not at all nerved, glabrous without, densely lepidote within;
SEPALS 2.8-3.3 cm long by 0.8-1.2 cm wide, elliptic, free, subcoriaceous, posteriorly carinate, acute, nerved, glabrous without to sub-glabrous, densely lepidote within;
PETALS 4.5-6.0 cm long, blade 0.6-1.0 cm wide, lilac to violet, stamens barely included in corolla;
CAPSULE ca. 1.0-4.0 cm long, distance between flowers 4-9 mm.

34. Tillandsia arcuans var. arcuans L. B. Smith, 1951.
Leaves at least 50 cm long, blade width at least 4.5 cm;
Scape diameter ca. 1.5 cm;
inflorescence ca. 20 cm in diameter;
spikes at least 11 cm long and at least 4.0 cm wide;
floral bracts to 5.0 cm long and 3.3 cm wide;
sepals papery;
petals to 6.0 cm long; distance between flowers to 5 mm.
MATERIAL EXAMINED: Benoist 3917 (P) Pifo, east of Quito, Prov. Pichincha, ca. 2500 m, 19 Feb. 1931; Drew E-299 (US) 2 km east of Hacienda Pecillo, road to Guayabambilla, along roadside, Prov. Imbabura, ca. 3100 m, 29 June 1944; Asplund 18255 (US) Pifo, on wall above the village, Prov. Pichincha, ca. 2800 m, 31 Oct. 1966.

35. Tillandsia arcuans var. naundorffii Gilrnartin, 1968 (Phytologia vol. 16, no. 2) pp. 158-159.
A var. arcuans parvioribus, sepalis chartaceis, spicis angustioribus differt.
Leaves 25-35 cm long, blades 2.0-3.0 cm wide;
scape diameter to 1.0 cm:
inflorescence ca. 7.0 cm in diameter;
spikes to 9.0 cm long by 2.5 cm wide at anthesis;
floral bracts 3.8-4.0 cm long by ca. 2.3 cm wide;
sepals subcoriaceous;
petals ca. 4.5 cm long, distance between flowers to 9 mm.
MATERIAL EXAMINED: Naundorff s. n. 26 March 1963 (US, Type) cultivated by Marnier-Lapostolle in Paris, quebrada near Quito, Prov. Pichincha, 2800 m, 26 March 1963.


Updated 11/04/24