Detail from Studies in Bromeliaceae by Lyman Smith VI p185. 1935
Mez's citations of T. bandensis are so badly mixed geographically that it is not possible to use them without further checking, although I have little doubt of their taxonomic accuracy. The main trouble is his interpretation of the old term, "Banda Oriental," as Paraguay, when it should be Uruguay. In addition I can find no basis for his considering that the Tweedie material came from Brazil.
As already pointed out in Ostenia, Hassler's var. intermedia differs from Mez's description of the type of T. bandensis but not from the type.
From p209
Venturi 2801 from El Duraznito, Tucuman, Argentina, is evidently a hybrid of T. recurvata and T. bandensis both of which occur in the same locality. The specimens of that number show various degrees of variation between the two species in the density of the inflorescence and its amount of indument.
Tillandsis pilosa L. B. Smith, Phytologia 7: 175, pI. 2, figs. 8, 9. 1960. See above
A T. recurvata et T. mallemontii Glaziou ex Mez, quibus affinis, foliis lepidibus angustissimis retrorsis piloso-vestitis, scapi bracteis haud apicalibus, bracteis florigeris glabris vel subglabris differt.
Caulescent, to 14 cm. long in flower; roots present; stems branching, densely massed, to 4 cm. long;
leaves distichous, to 7 cm. long, densely pilose-lepidote with fine linear retrorse gray scales;
sheaths broadly ovate, thin, several-nerved;
blades recurving, linear, terete, ca, 1.5 mm in diameter, the apex soft and filiform
scape terminal, to 7 cm. long, ca. 0.5 mm. in diam, lepidote at first with suborbicular appressed scales, soon glabrous;
scape-bracts typically 2, remote, never apical, forming a tight tube about the scape, lepidote, the lower with a prominent foliaceous blade, the upper soon glabrous;
inflorescence simple, laxly 2-flowered and with a sterile remnant at apex;
floral bracts ovate, acute, shorter than the sepals, thin, ecarinate, several-nerved, glabrous or nearly so;
flowers erect, subsessile;
sepals lanceolate, acute, 9 mm. long, short-connate posteriorly, thin, prominently nerved, glabrous;
petals blue, drying to deep blue-purple, the blades spreading, elliptic, 2.5 mm wide; stamens deeply included, exceeding the pistil.
Pl. II, fig. 8: Habit x 1/2; fig. 9: Inflorescence x 1.
Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, No. 2,283,921, collected on thorny bushes in dry places, near Saipina, Province of Flori¬da, Department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia , altitude 1800 meters, De¬cember 1959, by M. Cardenas (No. 55131)
Only the shape of the petal-blade separates the subgenera Phytarrhiza and Diaphoranthema and Tillandsia pilosa seems to be about midway betwen the two. On account of the bright color of the petals I am inclined to place it in Phytarrhiza.
From Baker 1889
26. T. BANDENSIS Baker in Journ. Bot. 1887, 234.
Leaves spread over a short stem, subulate, ascending, 1 ½ - 2 in. long, 1/12 in. diam. low down, rigid, deeply channelled down the lower part of the face, densely clothed with fine grey lepidote scales. Peduncle slender, flexuous; bract-leaves 2, small, adpressed. Flowers 3 in a lax.spike; flower-bracts oblong, cuspidate, 1/3 in. long. Calyx sub-cylindrical, 1/2 in. long; sepals acutc. Petal-blade obovate, spreading, reddish-lilac, ¼ in. long. Stamcns not longer than the calyx.
Hab. Uruguay, Tweedie. Near T. linearis.
From Mez 1935
359. T. bandensis Bak. in Journ. of Bot. XXV. (1887) 234; Castellanos in Anal. Mus.
Argent. Ci. Nat. XXXVII. (1933) 498.
T. quadriflora Bak. Bromel. (1889) 163, e. p.
T. recurvata var. majuscula Mez in Mart. Fl. Brasil. III. 3. (1894) 671.
Manifeste sed breviter caulescens, vix ultra 0,1 m alta. Folia sueto optime distiche ordinata, ad 50 mm longa et 1-1,5 mm crassa, subulata, acutissima, lepidibus magnis pruinosa. Scapus tenuissimus, foliis brevior, vaginis 1-2 tubulose appressis, quam internodia conspicue brevioribus, appresse lepidotis praeditus. Inflorescentia simplicissima, optime disticha, 2-5-flora, glabra, vix ultra 20 mm longa; bracteis ovato-ellipticis, acutis, submembranaceis, laevibus, usque ad 9 mm longis, glabris, quam sepala permanifeste brevioribus. Flores stricte erecti, glabri, ad 15 mm longi; sepalis subaequaliter liberis, chartaceis, laevissimis, subellipticis, acutis. Petalorum laminae violaceae, late obovatae subrhombiformes, patentes, Stamina profunde inclusa, stylum superantia.
Brasilien: Staat Rio Grande do Sul (Tweedie). Uruguay (Arechavaleta n. 2612, Kerr n. 109, Tweedie n. 6). Paraguay (Fleischer, Miers n. 1363). Argentina: Prov. Tucuman (Kurtz n.4146 e.p.); Prov. Jujuy, Rio Chijra (Schreiter n. 2605); Prov. Salta, Oran (Ragonese n. 31/1734), Gran Chaco Salteno, Ipaguazo (Calcagnini in herb. Min. Agr. n.7783), Rio Juramento (Castellanos); Prov. Catamarca, Quebrada de Totoral, Concepcion (Castillon n. 6601), El Valle (Spegazzini n. 159), El Alto, Balcosna (herb. Venturi n.7184); Prov. Cordoba, San Javier, Yacanto (Molfino {II. 1921}); Prov. Santa Fe, Malabrigo, F. C. a. Reconquista (Schroeder in herb. Min. Agr. n. 25602); Prov. Entre Rios, Concordia, Duraznal (Castellanos n. 31/978).
Var. intermedia Hassl. in Ann. Conserv. et Jard. bot. Geneve XX. (1919) 333; Castellanos in Physis X. (1930) 86, t. II.
Inter T.bandensem et T. Mallemontii intermedia.
Differt scapo quam folia longiore, basi lepidoto apice glabro cum inflorescentia 1,5-3 cm
longa 6-12 cm longo, bivaginato, vagina inferiore in laminam foliis similem producta, superiore stricte appressa, tubulosa albo-lepidota; inflorescentia l-4-flora, bracteolis vulgo glabris, rarius margines versus lepidibus albis hyalinis nitentibus conspersis ad 11 mm longis, acutis mucronulatis; floribus ad 18 mm longis; sepalis glaberrimis; petalorum lamina elliptico-obovata, apice subacutiuscula, coerulea, 9-10 mm lata, 16 mm longa.
Argentina: Buenos Aires, delta del Parana (Hicken n. 101, Hauman n. 28/1131,
Castellanos n. 1128); Santiago del Estero, La Parilla (Castellanos n. 24/l318); Sotelo (de Carles n. 1130); Tucuman, Vipos (Schreiter n.27/2340), bei Tucuman (Castellanos n. 26/2375, herb. Venturi n. 24/86), Tapia (Castellanos n. 1237), Chanar Pozo (Castellanos n. 1127); La Rioja, General Roca, San Francisco (Gomez n. 28/744; Chaco, Sta. Elisa (Hassler n. 2278), Resistencia (Castellanos n. 24/1246); Formosa (Jorgensen n. 1129).