Geoff Beech 10/19 T. pruinosa 'Califano'

Geoff Beech 10/19 T. pruinosa 'Califano' Ex. Justin Lee.

Chris Larson ... "History: It goes back a long way in collections in Melbourne – at least 20 years, but probably more like 30. Can’t say where it originated.
In Brisbane, at the Tillandsia Day in March 2019, someone handed me a huge clump for ID. So it is in Brisbane as well, traveling around without ID.
In selling Len’s plants this year, we sold quite a lot of these. Len Summers Tag says “T.PRUINOSA CALIFANI”.
Geoff Beech has taken the first 3 photos & forwarded them to me.
It has been around long enough that someone else should know it. Do I leave it as a pruinosa? Or should it get a cv name?
If I give it a cv name I will name it after Len Summers. T.Len’s Pruinosa or ……………… any ideas?"
Brenton Cadd ... "Maurice Kellet was selling this plant back when I first started collecting Tills, it was one of the first plants that I purchased from Maurice back in about 1980 give or take a year and I would be quite certain that is where Len Summers got it from also. So if you are going to give it a cv name I think it should have something to do with Maurice because he was certainly growing it long before Len came on the scene. Just my thoughts."
Derek Butcher ... "Continuing with your suggestion I wonder why Califani. We know that Califano was an Italian Tillandsia grower in the 1960's and the plant could have originated there. A sort of ex Califano with the ex missing! This seems a better solution than a new cultivar name. Even ex Kellett could be used."
Chris Larson ... "I have a memory of Califano on the label from the deep past. Is that what you have on yours Brent? Tags can change over time esp as your vision deteriorates with age.
Derek: Are Geoffs photos close enough to T. pruinosa or a hybrid as Peter Tristram seems to think. This is what I am trying to get at."
Derek Butcher ... "Nothing seems to spring to mind regarding differences to the description (see below). If It were my plant I would be taking it to bits. The plant seems to have offset over the years with never a seed raised so we need not worry about an unknown father. When Dale (our resident taxonomist) eventually gets a plant and flowers it we could get his opinion."
Brenton Cadd ... "Yes I think it was Califano. My plant is not alive any longer but from what I remember of it, it did not look close enough to be a straight pruinosa, more likely a hybrid in my opinion."
Geoff Beech ... "A couple more photos of the same plant I got from Justin a few years ago." (Ed. 2nd row above)

Detail from Gouda in Flora of the Guianas 1987
17. Tillandsia pruinosa Swartz, Fl. Ind. Occ. 1: 594. 1797.
- Platystachys pruinosa Beer, Bromel. 265. 1857, nom. nud. Type: Jamaica, without locality, Swartz s. n. (S).
- Tillandsia tortilis Klotzsch ex Beer, Bromel. 266. 1857, nom. nud. - Platystachys tortilis Beer, Bromel. 266. 1857, nom. nud.
Plant acaulescent, 8-23 cm tall, with about 10-20 white-tomentose (often ferrugineous when dry) leaves the sheaths forming a small pseudo-bulb.
Leaves 7-25 cm long, exceeding the inflorescence;
sheaths much inflated-convex, abruptly contracted into the blades, chartaceous, suborbicular or elliptic, 2-4.8 x 2-4.3 cm, with broad membranaceous and often purple-red margins, densely subappressed-lepidote to somewhat ferrugineously tomentose-lepidote at the apex, pale-brown, often deep purple inside;
blades suberect, often slightly flexuous or secund, fleshy coriaceous, flexible, involute-subulate, 5-21 cm long, 0.2-0.5 cm in diam., filiform-attenuate, very densely white or somewhat ferrugineously tomentose-lepidote.
Inflorescence simple or rarely digitately compound of 2-4 spikes, 5-15 cm long, densely tomentose-lepidote;
scape erect, 5-8 cm long, 2-3 mm in diam., densely concealed by its bracts and the leaves;
scape bracts foliaceous, suberect, with densely imbricate sheaths, the upper ones more oblong and acutish; axis very short and hidden;
primary bracts as the upper scape bracts, subspreading with the spikes, shorter than or exceeding the spikes by the foliaceous blade;
peduncle suberect or spreading, less than 1 cm long, only prophyllate;
spikes (broadly) elliptic, complanate, 4-6.5 x 1.8-4.5 cm, acutish, densely and distichously 3-6(-15)-flowered, with 1 to a few sterile bracts at the base and apex;
rachis hidden, nearly straight, angled, densely tomentose-lepidote;
floral bracts suberect, imbricate, thin-coriaceous, with even surface, elliptic, 2-2.9 cm long, 4-5 times as long as the internodes, nearly twice as long as the sepals, acutish or obtuse and obscurely apiculate, obscurely carinate at the extreme apex, pale silvery green, tinged with, or wholly dull rose-red.
Flowers tubular-erect, contiguous, sessile; receptacle obconic, bicarinate, ca. 2 mm long;
sepals very thin-coriaceous, with even surface, elliptic, 1.3-1.9 cm long, with broad membranaceous margins, rounded or obtuse, then obscurely acuminate, anteriorly short connate or almost free, posterior ones less than half connate and bluntly carinate at the base, sparsely appressed-lepidote at both sides or subglabrous;
petals ligulate, coiled at the extreme apex, ca. 3 cm long, obtuse or acute, violet;
stamens much exceeding the petals, the shortest 3 about equaling the pistil, the longest exceeding it, filaments flat, but exceeding part dilated, terete and violet, anthers dorsifixed (at 1/3), over 3 mm long; ovary ovoid(?), contracted into the slender style,
stigmas linear, flattened and twisting.
Capsule cylindric, to ca. 5.5 cm long, attenuately subacute, short-beaked.
Distribution: Florida, S. Mexico, and Cuba to Ecuador and Brazil. Epiphytic, from near sea level to 1400 m alt. 7 collections studied. Surinam, 60 km from Brazil boundary, Paloemeu R., Mt. Kassikassima, Moonen s. n. (U).
Culture and use: A very decorative small species; easily grown like an epiphyte in window or in greenhouse at a bright and sunny, moderately humid location. Propagation by seed, on vertical wire gauze not difficult.

Dale Dixon ... "I’m after images of clumps and individual plants of Tillandsia pruinosa. It doesn’t have to be in flower. If you have this species, could you please send pictures. I’m looking at comparisons with the entity that’s circulating as Len’s Pruinosa or Califani/Califano."

Rob Bower 01/20 "standard/small pruinosa"

Bob Hudson 01/20

Geoff Beech 01/20 as "pruinosa califani"

Andrew Flower 01/20 "T. pruinosa Dominican Republic. Import 1995 from Birdrock Tropicals- T152."

Andrew Flower 01/20 "different form, also from a US nursery 1990's - probably Tillandsia International or Tropiflora."