Tillandsia incarnata var margaritacea
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Tillandsia incarnata var margaritacea
| Heather Sullivan 08/13. Not certain of i.d. |
Ian Hook 08/19 T. incarnata |
Derek Butcher ... "Heather: You have set a puzzle here because T. incarnata is known for its long stems and rose flowers! BUT I have a gut feeling this originated with Pedro and a KK shipment years ago. Therefore, I think you should look at T. incarnata var margaritacea. It is rare! Check it out with the enclosed description."
Tillandsia incarnata Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth, Nov. Gen. & Sp. 1: 291. 1816.
Tillandsia striata Willdenow ex Schultes filius in Roemer & Schultes, Syst. 7(2): 1208. 1830; nomen in synon.
Tillandsia brevifolia Baker, Jour. Bot. London 25: 239. 1887. Type. Without exact locality, Andes of Ecuador, Lehmann s n (K, K photo 7412).
Desc from S&D p767-8
Plants in dense tangled masses; stem branching, its branches to 75 cm long; roots present on young plants.
Leaves densely polystichous, 8-24 cm long, covered with appressed or slightly spreading scales;
Sheaths ovate, indistinct, sometimes tinged with brown;
Blades suberect to spreading, narrowly triangular, filiform-attenuate, usually involute toward apex.
Scape terminal, straight or slightly curved, about 2 mm in diameter, 1-4 dm long, lepidote or glabrous;
Scape-bracts densely imbricate, elliptic, chartaceous, roseate, densely cinereous-lepidote, the lower with long filiform blades, the upper acute or apiculate.
Inflorescence simple or rarely digitate from a few spikes;
Primary bracts like the scape-bracts, shorter than the spikes;
Spikes lanceolate or linear, acute, 5-12 cm long, complanate, subdensely 5-18-flowered;
Rhachis nearly straight, sharply quadrangular, lepidote.
Floral bracts imbricate or the lowest slightly divergent, elliptic, apiculate, 20-25 mm long, exceeding the sepals, ecarinate, chartaceous, sulcate, roseate, densely lepidote; Flowers subsessile.
Sepals lance-elliptic, acute, about 14 mm long, sulcate, lepidote, pos¬teriorly carinate and connate;
Petals narrowly elliptic, obtuse, 20-25 mm long, erect or nearly so, rose;
Stamens included, filaments dilated above and transversely plicate.
Capsule subprismatic, to 25 mm long.
Type. Humboldt & Bonpland s n (holotype B, F photo 11505), "Guallabamba et prope Hambato Quitensium," Pichincha, Ecuador, 1802.
Distribution. Terrestrial, saxicolous, and epiphytic in sunny habitats, 500-3200 m alt, Colombia, Ecuador.
COLOMBIA. NORTE DE SANTANDER: Pamplona, Jul 1842, Funck & Schlim 1479 (BM); 2 Oct 1946, Foster 1797 (COL, GH); Mutiscua to Pamplona, 23 Feb 1927, Killip & Smith 19767 (GH, NY, US); Garcia, south of Pamplona, 18 Mar 1945, Garganta 979 (F). CUNDINAMARCA: Bogota to La Mesa, Goudot s n (P); Facatativa, Dec 1875, Andre 604 e p (K, NY); Tequendama, Feb 1876, Andre 604 e p (K, NY); 1925, Schultze 71 (US); Bogota, Amortegui 175 (US); Quetame, Jan 1930, Perez-Arbelaez 4 (COL, US); Usaquen, Santa Ana, Aug 1939, Uribe-Uribe 359 (COL); Mosquera, 14 Dec 1943, Garcia-Barriga 10915 (COL, US); 23 Jan 1949, Mason 13745 (COL, US); Ubate, 14 Sep 1947, Haught 6171 (COL, F, US); Charquito, 30 Oct 1949, Haught 6661 (COL, US); Sopo,3 Dec 1949, Garcia-Barriga 13357 (COL, US); Bogota to Usme, 4 Aug 1950, S. G, Smith & Idrobo 1316 (COL, UC, US); Bosa, 21 Aug 1952, Hammen 461 (COL); Zipaquira, Mar 1955, Uribe-Uribe 2641 (COL, US); Ubate, 18 May 1952, Koie 4543 (C, COL); Mosquera, 26 Jan 1965, Cuatrecasas & Jaramillo 26691 (US). NARINO: Volcan La Galera, Pasto, May 1876, Andre 604 e p (K); Tangua to Tuquerres, 18 Nov 1946, Foster 2202 (COL, GH); west of Pasto, 25 Mar 1950, Espinosa s n (US). ECUADOR. IMBABURA: Rio Chota, Jun 1876, Andre s n (K); Ibarra, 23 Jan 1940, Asplund 10443 (S, US); Atuntaqui, 27 Jun 1944, Drew E-298 (US); Yaguarcocha, 15 Aug 1949, Acosta Solis 13360 (F). PICHINCHA Chillogallo, 17 Oct 1927, Firmin 265 (F, US); Cumbaya, 17 Jun 1930, Benoist 2632 (P); Pifo, 15 Sep 1939, Asplund 8741 (S, US); Quito, 12 Dec 1946, Rue s n (P); 28 Feb 1947, Rue s n (P); 20 Aug 1949, Acosta Solis 13494 (F); 6 Aug 1965, Gilmartin 1086 (US). COTOPAXI; Volcan Cotopaxi, Wagner 92 (M). TUNGURAHUA: Ambato, Nov 1880, Lehmann 147 (BM, US); 21 Sep 1923, Hitchcock 21705 (GH, NY, US); 2 Nov 1932, Heinrichs 34 (M, Z); 6 Nov 1932, 77 (B, M, Z); 1939, Ba1ls 7191 (US); Nov 1952, Fagerlind & Wibom 1007 (S, US); Guayllabamba, 16 Jan 1931, Benoist 3712 (P); Patate, 22 Ju1 1939, Asplund 7782 (S, US); Rio Pillaro, Ambato to Pillaro, 10 Aug 1939, Asplund 8155 (S, US); Ambato to Pishilata, 25 Oct 1944, Acosta Solis 8633 (F); 1 Dec 1944, 9251 (F); km 22, Ambato to Banos, 7 Aug 1965, Gilmartin 1088 (US); same, km 45, 1094 (US). CHIMBORAZO: Riobamba, Rimbach 121 (GH, US); upper Rio Chambo, 12 Mar 1934, Schimpff 777 (MO, US, Z); Chambo, 10 May 1939, Asplund 5999 (S, US). AZUAY: Ona to Cuenca, Sep 1923, Hitchcock 21610 (GH, NY, US); Cuenca, Feb 1945, Giler 33 (US); 20 Sep 1955, Asplund 17621 (S, US); 1956, Teuscher 2034-56 (US); Aug 1965, Gilmartin 1107 (US); 1161 (US). Without exact locality: Pearce s n (K).
LOCAL NAME. Huicundo (Acosta Solis 13494).
From Baker 1889
51. T. INCARNATA H B K Nov. Gen. i. 291
T. brevifolia Baker in Journ. Bot. 1887, 239
Platystachys incarnata Beer.
Leaves 12-20 in a dense rosette, lanceolate-setaceous, 4-5 in. long, ½ in. broad at the base of the blade, thick in texture, densely finely lepidote on both surfaces.
Peduncle 6-15 in. long ;
lower bract leaves long-pointed.
Inflorescence a dense simple distichous spike 1½-3 in. long, ½ in. broad;
flower-bracts oblong, acute, lepidote, ¾ in. long.
Sepals shorter than the bract.
Petal-blade oblong, ¼-? in. long.
Capsule an inch long.
Hab. Andes of Peru, Bonpland 3138 ! Pearce! Ecuador, Lehmann 177! New Granada, ascending to 8000 ft., Linden 1479 ! Goudot ! Funck & Schlim 1479 ! Andre 604.
The alleged locality of Mexico is probably an error.
T. brevifolia Baker in Journ. Bot. 1887, 239
39. T. brevifolia n. sp.
Leaves densely rosulate, 5-6 in. long; dilated base ovate, 3/4 in. broad;
blade lanceolate-setaceous, ½ in. broad at the base, tapering gradually to the point, rather thin in texture, densely finely persistently lepidote on both surfaces.
Peduncle a foot long;
lower bract-leaves with short setaceous points; upper entirely adpressed.
Inflorescence a simple erect dense spike 2-3 in. long, ½ in. broad;
flower-bracts oblong-lanceolate, lepidote, ¾ in. long.
Calyx ½ in. long.
Petals not seen.
Capsule twice as long as the calyx.
Hab. Andes of Ecuador, Lehmann! Ambato, Pearce! Nearly allied to T. xiphostachys.
Notes from Gilmartin 1972
The length of the plant may vary from as short as 15 cm to as tall as 75 cm including the well developed stem in T. incarnata H.B.K. However, the inflorescence parts, the leaf dimensions, and shape are much less variable. The altitudes at which this species has been collected to date in Ecuador are from ca. 2000 m to 3000 m. The stamens are included as is the stigma but often the anthers reach the apices of the petal blades. Vegetative propagation in its natural habitat is common. The above 32 specimens bear witness to the abundance of T. incarnata in portions of the northern and central Ecuadorian Andes.
Harry Luther comment 30/3/1993
T. incarnata seems to intergrade with T. queroensis. Your photo appears to represent something along this cline.
Tillandsia incarnata var. margaritacea A. Roguenant & Raynal-Roques, J. Brom. Soc. 54(4): 180-1. 2004
TYPE: Ecuador. Tungurahua:Ambato, 2300-2800 m alt, epiphyte on Schinus molle and Caesalpiniaceae, 12 May 2001, Albert & Claudie Roguenant & Aline Raynal-Roques 0177 (Holotype: SEL). Figures 36, 37.
A varietate typica sed bracteis scapigeris griseo-viridibus, inflorescentia simplici, spicis brevioribus, subviridi-griseis, 5-8 flora, bracteis florigeris subviridibus, et petalis margaritaceus differt.
Plants in dense tangled masses;
stem branching, its branches to 10-35 cm long,
roots present on young plants.
Leaves densely polystichous, spreading, 6-15 cm long, gray, covered with appressed or slightly spreading scales;
sheaths ovate, indistinct, sometimes tinged with brown;
blades suberect to spreading, narrowly triangular, filiform-attenuate, usually involute toward the apex.
Scape terminal, straight or slightly curved, about 2.0-2.5 mm in diameter, 10-30 cm long, lepidote or glabrous;
scape bracts densely imbricate, elliptic, chartaceous, the lower gray green, with long filiform blades, the upper acute or apiculate, pale green to cinereous, apex cinereous, sometimes slightly rosy.
Inflorescence simple; spike lanceolate or linear, flat, 5.0-7.5 cm long, often arched, pale greenish gray loosely 5-8 flowered, internodes 7 mm long, rachis nearly straight, subquadrangular, lepidote to glabrescent.
Floral bracts and scape bracts alike, imbricate or the lowest slightly divergent, elliptic, apiculate, 1.5-2.2 cm long, exceeding the sepals, ecarinate, chartaceous, with a longitudinal nerve, densely lepidote, pale green, apex generally more beige;
flowers subsessile.
Sepals lance-elliptic, acute, about 1.4 cm long, with a longitudinal nerve, lepidote, carinate and connate for 1 mm;
petals narrowly elliptic, erect or nearly so, tortuous, pearl-white, 2.0-2.5 cm long, claw 3 mm wide, ended with a lanceolate blade 5-6 mm long, obtuse;
stamens included, 18 mm long,
filament pure white, 0.4 mm in diameter, bearing a straight yellow anther, 3 x 0.2-0.3 mm.
Pistil 16 mm long;
ovary egg-shaped, clear green, glistening, 4 mm long, 2 mm wide;
style white, spindly, 10 mm long, 0.4 mm thick;
stigma 2 mm long, white, papillose inside.
The new variety was observed growing mixed among populations of the typical variety, but also in large populations by itself. Individuals of the new variety tend to be smaller in stature and always have pearly-white petals. They are found as epiphytes on Schinus molle (Anacardiaceae) and on vertical cliffs. The species name refers to the pearl-white petals.
Updated 30/08/19