A Tillandsia limbata Schltdl. rosula infundibuliformia multo majora, foliis perrigidis coriaceisque, nervatis, laminis multo longioribus apicibus filiformibus, inflorescentia altiora, rachide minus geniculata, rosea nec rubra, floribus multo majoribus, internodiis fere duplo majoribus, bracteis florigeris 10 mm longioribus, sepalis longioribus, fere duplo latioribus,petalis longioribus, erectis absque sinuum, apicibus non divergentibus et stigmate laminis convolutes differt; a T. comitanensis Ehlers rosula multo majora infundibuliformia, foliis minus nervatis, vaginis foliorum paulo conspicuis, laminis foliorum vaginis sexies usque ad octies longioribus apicibus filiformibus, rhachide minus geniculata, rosea nec rubra, internodiis 2-3 cm longis (versus 1-1,2 cm), bracteis florigeris majoribus, ovatis nec suborbicularibus, sepalis longioribus et magis connatis et petalis longioribus apice latiori (10 versus 8 mm) recedit
Typus: Mexico, Estado Oaxaca, inter urbes Huatulco et Salina Cruz prope pagum Huamenula, 100-200 m s. m., 5. 2. 2003, leg. R. Ehlers EM 030406, M. Kretz, et J. & U. Lautner, epiphytica in vegetatio littorale arida in fruticibus et arboribus parvis una cum T. roland-gosselini Mez (MEXU, holo,WU, iso).
Plant growing epiphytic on costal bush-trees, stemless, 60-70 cm high, flowering 90-150 cm high, a funnelform rosette composed of few (15–20) leaves.
Leaves 60-90 cm long, green, rigid, densely and finely adpressed cinereous lepidote throughout, especially underneath, appearing green.
Sheaths elliptic-ovate, 8-12 cm long, 6-8 cm wide, sub-conspicuous, adaxially green and light brown, abaxially concolorous with the blade, erect-funnelform.
Blades narrowly triangular with long filiform tips, to 80 cm long, 3-5 cm wide above the sheat, adpressed lepidote on both sides, abaxially nerved and more lepidote, appearing grey.
Scape 30–50 cm long, erect stout, from slightly shorter than to exceeding the leaves, pink.
Scape-bracts erect, the lower ones lanceolate, caudate, the sheats 3-4 cm long, imbricate, adpressed to the scape, internodes 3-5 cm, leaving the pink, glabrous scape visible, the upper ones ovate and only acute.
Inflorescence central, erect, pyramidal, laxely bipinnate or tripinnate, 40-50 cm long; 30-40 cm wide, much surpassing the rosette, internodes between the branches 3-4 cm, composed of many branches.
Primary bracts like the upper scape-bracts, 3-4 cm long, enfolding the lower part of the sterile base of the axillary branch.
Branches 18-40 cm long, spreading 25–45 degrees, composed of 1-3 spikes, the sterile base to 10 cm long, the spikes composed of 7–15 laxly distichous, sessile flowers, Rhachis visible, geniculate, about 3 mm in diameter, flattened next the flowers, pink, glabrous, internodes 2–3 cm, about .75 as long as the sepals,
Flowers erect with slight sinus and closely appressed to the rhachis, 1/2-2/3 contiguous with it.
Floral bracts 7-9 mm shorter than the sepals, 2.5-3 cm long, 1.5–1.7 cm wide, ovate, sub-obtuse, enfolding the base of the sepals and 2/3 of the rhachis, green, glabrous, coriaceous with thin margins, adaxially strongly nerved, ecarinate.
Sepals 30-33 mm long, 15 mm wide, spatulate, obtuse, the anterior 3 mm, the posterior 4-5 mm connate with the ovarium, coriaceous, green, glabrous adaxially nerved.
Petals tubular-erect, ligulate, 5 cm long, 10 mm wide, 6 mm at the base, throat slightly open, the obtuse tips not spreading, greenish white.
Stamens and pistil exserted, filaments to 5.8-6 cm long in two sets of unequal length, thin, oval-round in cross section and equal in diameter for the entire length, whitish green, concolorous with the petals, anthers 4-5 mm long, 1 mm wide, versatile fixed 1/3 from the base, style 5–5.5 cm long, white, stigma 2 x 2 mm, lobes erect, little spreading, green.
Ovarium 5 mm high, 4 mm at base.
The plant is monocarpic.
The plants seem to be related to T. limbata Schlechtendal 1845 but differs in the following characters:
Plant growing in hot arid area not in moist forest, a funnelform, less spreading rosette, much bigger, leaves very rigid and coriaceous, nerved, the blades many times longer and with filiform tips. Inflorescence higher, rhachis less geniculate, pink not red, flowers much bigger, internodes nearly twice as big, floral bracts nearly 1 cm longer, Sepals much longer, nearly twice as wide, petals much longer, erect with no sinus, the tips not at all spreading.
From Tillandsia dasyliriifolia Baker, based on description by Ivon Ramirez (2004), the plant differs: leaves much longer, blades to 80 cm long not only to 30 cm, branches of inflorescence much longer, to 40 cm not only 20 cm. Flowers sessile, no peduncle, floral bracts longer and wider, (to 3.0 not only to 2.3 mm), sepals much longer, (to 33 mm not 15-22 mm), twice as wide (15 not 7-8 mm), higher connate, petals much longer, (to 50 mm not to 37 mm), filaments longer (to 60 mm not 36 mm), stigma with lobes small and erect not expanded.
Type: Mexico, Esdo. Oaxaca between Huatulco and Salina Cruz near Huamelula, 100-200 m s. m. EM 030406 leg. R. Ehlers, Manfred Kretz, Jürgen und Ulrich Lautner, 5.2.03, growing on bushes or small trees in dry coastal area with T. roland-gosselini
Geographical distribution:
Mexico, Estdo Oaxaca, in dry and hot area on costal bush-trees. So far only known from the type-collection between Huatulco and Salina Cruz near Huamenula, and in the area around of Pochutla, (Photo Ing. Zima CR.)
History:
I travelled in February 2003 with my friends Jürgen and Uli Lautner and Manfred Kretz along the coast from Pochutla to Huamelula. We wanted to stay over night in the small hotel in Huamelula but in the afternoon we went to the Rio Huamelula to take photos of T. ionantha var. maxima. Near the road in the dry bushes and trees along the road we saw a big Tillandsia looking similar to the plant we collected near Rio San Nicolas. We saw a plant coming into spike and Manfred tried to get it down from the tree without hurting it. I was waiting near the road for him and the plant when a car stopped and a Mexican told me: what are you doing here so alone, that is not very safe for you, can I take you along? I told him that I am not alone and my friend is coming soon. And really, Manfred got the very big plant and I saw it looked different to the plants from Rio San Nicolas. It was 150 cm high and when I put it in the car the top broke off and I was very sad. In the garden of the small hotel I tried to pack the plant, but it was very big for my suitcase and I was afraid to brake the inflorescence again. So I collected some small wooden branches and fixed it along the stem and the rhachis. And at home I was very happy that the lower part of the inflorescence looked good and after some weeks flowered. And after checking intensively all the related plants I think it is a new species. I had collected one more plant which flowered in October 2004 so I could compare again.