Tillandsia ponderosa Click thumbnails for full size, scaled to a new window.
Tillandsia ponderosa
David Sheumack, 03/09, 09/09.
Originally from Kurt Meyer in the late 80’s. First flowering.
Chris Larson 05/24 10+ years for flowering.
Tillandsia ponderosa L. B. Smith, Contr. Gray Herb. 154: 37, pl. 4, figs. 8, 9. 1945.
Desc. from S&D p 952-3 Plant stemless, flowering 7-8 dm high. Leaves about equaling the inflorescence; Sheaths large, elliptic, yellow-green or purple, punctulate-lepidote; Blades linear-triangular, attenuate, 4-5 cm wide, covered on both sides with appressed cinereous brown-centered scales. Scape erect, stout; Scape-bracts foliaceous, large, very densely imbricate. InfIorescence very densely bipinnate, stoutly ellipsoid or subglobose; Primary bracts suberect, subfoliaceous, their sheaths suborbicular and distinctly shorter than the spikes, their blades exceeding the lower spikes; Spikes short-stipitate, broadly lanceolate, acute, 15 cm long, 4 cm wide,complanate, about 8-flowered. Floral bracts densely imbricate, elliptic, acute, to 55 mm long, exceeding the sepals, sharply carinate, slightly incurved, even or faintly nerved, glabrous, red or yellow. (Ehlers reports that the yellow bracted form comes from Guatemala) Sepals free, oblong, broadly acute, 4-5 cm long, the posterior carinate; Petals erect, linear, purple, 65 mm long; Anthers exserted. Capsule cylindric, about equaling the sepals. Type. Steyermark 29797 (holotype F), Sierra de Las Minas, near summit of ridge, below Finca Alejandria, Zacapa, Guatemala, 12 act 1939. DISTRIBUTION. Epiphytic in oak and pine forest, 2000-2700 m alt, southern Mexico, Guatemala, Salvador.
MEXICO. OAXACA: Tehuantepec, Mar 1954, MacDougall 334 (US). CHIAPAS: Pico de Loro, Escuintla, 25 Jun 1941, Matuda 4275 (GH, LL); Pinabeto, Motozintla, 7 May 1945, Matuda 5421 (US); Teopisca, 1959, Van Hyning 5914 (US); Zontehuitz, San Cristobal de las Casas, 1964, Ton 385 (DS); Huistan, San Cristobal de las Casas, 22 Jan 1965, Breedlove & Raven 8310 (US); Muk'ta-vits (Cerro Huitepec), Zinacantan, 18 Feb 1966, Laughlin 140 (US). GUATEMALA. HUEHUETENANGO: La Sierra (Tujimach), San Juan Atitan, Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, 8 Sep 1942, Steyermark 51999 (F, GH). EL PROGRESO: Finca Piemonte to summit of Volcan Santa Luisa, 5 Feb 1942, Steyermark 43524 (F, GH). ZACAPA: Rio Repollal to Sierra de Las Minas, Jan 1942, Steyermark 42570 (F, GH). JALAPA: Volcan Jumay, Jalapa, 1 Dec 1939, Steyermark 32318 (F). CHIMALTENANGO: Chichavac, 18 Feb 1933, Skutch 254 (US). SALVADOR. SANTA ANA: Hacienda Montecristo, 26 Feb 1951, Rohweder 249-252 (HBG); El Trifinio, Cordillera Miramundo, Jan 1966, Molina, Burger & Wallenta 16921 (F, US).
Tillandsia ponderosa, spec. nov., L. B. Smith, Contr. Gray Herb. 154: 37, pl. 4, figs. 8, 9. 1945
verisimiliter acaulis, florifera 7-8dm. alta; foliis inflorescentiam subaequantibus, vaginis magnis, ellipticis, flavo-viridibus vel purpureis, utrinque punctulato-lepidotis, laminis lineari triangularibus, acuminatis. 4-5cm. latis, utrinque lepidibus adpressis cinereis centro brunneis dense vestitis; scapo erecto, valido; scapi bracteis foliaceis, magnis, erectis, densissime imbricatis; inflorescentia densissime bipinnatim paniculata, ponderosa, late ellipsoidea vel subglobosa; bracteis primariis suberectis, subfoliaceis, vaginis suis suborbicularibus, quam spicis axillaribus bene brevioribus, laminis spicas inferiores superantibus; spicis breviter stipitatis, late lanceolatis, acutis, complanatis, ad 15 cm. longis, 4cm. latis, ca. 8-floris; bracteis florigeris erectis, dense imbricatis, ad 55mm. longis, sepala superantibus, ellipticis, acutis, acute carinatis, leviter incurvatis, coriaceis, laevibus vel leviter nervatis, glabris, vivis rubris vel aureis; sepalis liberis, oblongis, late. acutis, 4-5cm. longis; petalis.linearibus, purpureis; antheris exsertis. Tab. IV, 6g. 8, 9.
GUATEMALA: EL PROGRESO: hills north of Fines, Piemonte, between Finca Piemonte and summit of Volcan Santa Luisa, alt. 2400-3333m., Feb. 5, 1942, Steyermark 43524 (G, CM) ; ZACAPA: pine forest, Sierra de las Minas, near summit of ridge, below Finca Alejandria, alt. 1700-2000 m., Oct. 12, 1939 Steyermark 29797 (CM, TYPE); upper slopes along Rio Repollal to summit of mountain, Sierra de las Minas, alt. 2100-2400 m., Jan. 12-13 1942, Steyermark 42570 (G, CM); JALAPA: epiphyte in cloud forest on top, Volcan Jumay, north of Jalapa, alt. 1300-2200 m., Dec. 1, 1939, Steyermark 32318 (CM); HUEHUETENANGO: on oak tree on upper slopes, La Sierra (Tujimach), across river from Ban Juan Atitan, Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, alt. 2500-2900 m., Sept. 8, 1942, Steyermark 51999 (G, CM).
Among North American species, Tillandsia ponderosa keys out to the vicinity of T. Bourgaei, but differs in its stouter inflorescence, larger glabrous spikes and free sepals as well as in several other obvious characters. Actually it is probably more nearly related to T. imperialis, although it fails to arrive there in the key because of the relatively short sheaths of its primary bracts.
From Ehlers’ travels – Guatemala 1992 Sierra Cuchamatanes.
In San Mateo it was market day. There the women have different costumes but also very beautiful and colourful embroidered. Everybody was friendly and looked at us as inquisitively as we at them. On a tree in the town square we saw two T. ponderosa in flower and find to my amazement that they have the same form as the ones in Chiapas because usually T. ponderosa in Guatemala looks different. We had for years an argument with Paul Isley III, because we doubted that the picture of the plant in his book "Tillandsia" was actually T. ponderosa. The plants we found in Chiapas look different, they had only a short red floral bracts and the petals are nearly as long as the floral bracts and the inflorescence looks like a T. imperialis. The plant which is known in Guatemala as T. ponderosa and which we now know,has long yellow floral bracts with short petals. I had decided to study these plants intensively. The plant from Chiapas is the national plant and is also on a stamp. Why has nobody noticed that these two plants from Chiapas and Guatemala are very different ? The beautiful flowering plants are therefore photographed and then we went past Nahul to St. Cruz Barilla.
