Peter Tristram 05/14* pedicellata on left, minutiflora on right.
Andrew Flower ... "Photos are of a T. pedicellata that flowered here a couple of weeks ago. Grown from seed supplied by Eric Gouda in 2001 (his collection number EG-995-66; 96GR-27).
If you look at the flowers in pic 01, you would be excused for wondering why on earth anyone would name it "stalky" - "pedicel" is one group of taxonomist's label for a flower stalk. Uncle D has an interesting theory that it may be because of the giant pedicel the plant puts out if fertilised - see pic 02. Plant is 21mm high, mature pedicel is 35.75mm long, then seed pod a further 21mm long! (measured with digital calipers).
Measurements on the scale bars in pic 2 look out of sync - this is because the pedicel is quite heavily bowed, not straight as it appears in the photo.
One of nature's giants!" * Peter Tristram 26/05/14pedicellata (on the left) with the flower stems and minutiflora without - some seed pods on both though, so the base of the pod is the end of the flower stem. This is a small form of minutiflora. Most of the world still calls this little beauty bryoides even most of the Europeanss! It's look-a-like, pedicellata, still keeps its name but has a short flower spike and minutiflora doesn't.
Chris Larson 06/19
Chris Larson 02/20
Stephen Haines 11/20
Chris Larson 04/21
Tillandsia pedicellata (Mez) Castellanos Lilloa 11: 144 1945
Treated in S&D as a synonym of T. bryoides Grisebach ex Baker but resurrected by Till in Die Brom 1:15-19. 1991 Tillandsia coarctata Gillies ex Baker, Jour. Bot. London 16: 236. 1878; nomen. non
Willdenow, 1830 (nomen); Ball (authority wrongly given as "W.), Jour. Linn. Soc. Bot. 21: 234. 1884. Based on Gillies s n (CGE, K, GH photo), Mendoza, Argentina, 1825. Tillandsia coarctata var pedicellata Mez, DC. Monogr. Phan. 9: 865. 1896. Type. Cordoba, Argentina, Hieronymus 795 e p (B, B photo 1192/10; BM, CORD, GH).
Desc from Mez in Bromeliaceae 1934 with amendments in brackets from Till in Die Bromelie 1/1991 p15-19
All Castellanos did in Lilloa was to nov. comb. T. coarctata Gill var pedicellata Mez to species status without giving reasons for his action. Habit like moss Plant very clearly caulescent, up to 10cm long, often smaller. Leaves densely arranged on all sides, forming an erect cylindric plant, under 10mm long, up to 2mm wide, narrowing from the base to a very sharp tip, with densely large pruinose lepidote covering. Scape (missing – coarctata) more or less evident, naked (no leaves), exceeding the leaves. Flower single. Floral bract one nerved, to 8mm long, green.(As long as the sepals and 1-3 nerved) Sepals equally joined to 1mm, papery, outside lepidote towards the tip, elliptic-linear, rounded, to 6mm long.(Always glabrous and almost always 3 nerved) Petal a little longer than the sepal, suberect at anthesis, lineal claw with narrow blade, lancelike, scarcely shiny, slightly acute elongation.(8mm long) (dark violet – Castellanos) Stamens well enclosed, longer than the Style. Type. Cordoba, Argentina, Hieronymus 795 e p (B, B photo 1192/10; BM, CORD, GH).
