Tillandsia seleriana
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Tillandsia seleriana
Ken Woods.
Ian Hook 12/06.
Andrew Flower* 11/13.
George Nieuwenhoven 11/13.
*Andrew Flower ... "A very old Tillandsia seleriana, been around here for 30-40 years!
Doesn't flower very often for me, its is quite a compact form and made some very nice hybrids. Put it in a heated house last year, and it has repaid with four spikes."
Chris Larson 11/15. ex-Lau early 90s In full Melbourne sun 10am-3pm.
Steve Molnar 10/20
Rob Bower 09/20 small form? less than 1/3 of normal size
Rob Bower 10/20
Rob Bower ... "This is my small form of seleriana - I think. It flowers at the same time as larger forms and I was speculating on what hybrid it might be until Pam Butler mentioned that there are small forms around."
Chris Larson ... "Yes there are a number of small forms of T. seleriana around which is why I was querying the one from Barry & Neville. I have 3 or 4 different ones with small form on them. Very nice form - but different to the one from Olwen. Yours looks true to seleriana. Great shape & colour."
Chris Larson 09/20 small form ex Barry Genn. Hybrid? to be registered.
Chris Larson ... "Someone, somewhere, in the past few weeks, was asking about small forms of T. seleriana. Then I found that this one was doing its thing. T. seleriana Small Form ex Barry Genn. Lots of things about it seem different to my other seleriana. What's the history Barry? A very nice little plant."
Barry Genn ... "This plant has been in cultivation in this area at least, for a long time. Neville Ryan may be able to shed some light on it's origin. I have always thought that it didn't look quite right for a straight seleriana, and suspect that it could be a seleriana x scaposa ?"
Neville Ryan ... "As far as I know this plant came from Olwen Ferris, where she got it from I don’t know."
Dale Dixon ... "I got mine from Margaret Paterson."
Chris Larson ... "I can measure this up and register it. I have the photos. What shall we put on it?
I noticed that Olwen doesn't appear in the BCR, at least with her name in the plant title. A great grower in Australian Tillandsia history.
Name suggestions : T. Olwen's ........ Can someone call it for me ?"
Dale Dixon ... "I did not know Olwen but can’t help but think that this is gift from the past from Olwen. What about Tillandsia ‘Olwen’s Legacy’?
Legacy - anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor. Just a suggestion."
Ed. 11/20 ... "Now registered as T. 'Olwen's Treasure', seleriana? x scaposa?" by Olwen Ferris ~1970.


Tillandsia seleriana Mez, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 30(67): 8. 1902 (incorrectly shown in S&D as "in Loesener, Bull. Herb. Boiss. 11.3: 84.1903").
Desc from S&D p982-3
Plant stemless, flowering 20-25 cm high.
Leaves equaling or exceeding the inflorescence, covered with coarse cinereous or ferruginous spreading scales;
Sheaths broadly ovate or suborbicular, merging into the blades, forming an ovoid pseudobulb 7-12 cm long;
Blades linear-triangular, attenuate, involute-subulate, contorted, to 1cm in diameter at base.
Scape short, erect;
Scape-bracts erect, densely imbricate, foliaceous, their blades exceeding the inflorescence.
Inflorescence digitately or subpinnately compound from 3-6 spikes, compact, 6-10 cm long;
Primary bracts broadly ovate or elliptic, slightly shorter than even the lowest axillary spikes, short-laminate or apiculate, densely lepidote;
Spikes sessile, broadly elliptic, strongly complanate, 6-7-flowered, 4 cm long;
Rhachis straight, densely lepidote.
Floral bracts elliptic, acute, 20-28 mm long, exceeding the sepals, four to five times as long as the internodes but exposing part of the rhachis, slightly carinate, densely cinereous with coarse spreading scales;
Flowers sessile.
Sepals narrowly elliptic, acute or obtuse, 17 mm long, prominently nerved, glabrous, and posterior ones connate for 6 mm;
Petals linear, tubular-erect, 35 mm long, violet;
Stamens and pistil exserted.
Capsule stout, mucronate, 45 mm long.
Type. Seler 3439 (lectotype B), without exact locality, Mexico.
DISTRIBUTION. Epiphytic in Pinus and Quercus woods, 270-2100 m alt, southern Mexico to Honduras.
MEXICO. MICHOACAN: Monte Santa Ignes, Apr 1898, Langlasse 94 in part (US). CHIAPAS: Honduras, Siltepec, 9 Ju11941, Lundell 4376 (LL); Piedra Parada to Ocozoclialitla, 11 Apr 1947, Moore 2566 (US); Comitan, 12 Apr 1949, Carlson 1984 (F); Lagos de Montebello to La Trinitaria, 26 Jan 1965, Breedlove & Raven 8415 (US); Aguacatenango, Mun. Venlistiano Carranza, 28 Jan 1965, Raven & Breedlove 20094 (US); El Sumidero, north of Tuxtla Gutierrez, 7 Apr 1965, Breedlove 9572 (DS); Comitan de Dominiquez, 29 Apr 1965, Breedlove 9830 (US); Burrero, Zinacan¬tan Center to Ixtapa, 20 Apr 1966, Laughlin 722 (US). GUATEMALA. QUICHE: San Pedro Jocopilas to Quiche, 12 Jan 1939, Standley 62462 (F); Pagliayil, 28 Jul 1964, Proctor 25327 (IJ, LL, US). HUEHUETENANGO: Rio Plical, 20 Feb 1939, Standley 65847 (F); Huehuetenango west to Pliente Xinaxo, 30 Dec 1940, Standley 81594 (F). ALTA VERAPAZ: Chama, 26 Jul 1920, Johnson 409 (US). BAJA VERAPAZ: Carjil Creek, Salama, 10 Dec 1946, Clover 9586 (MICH). ZACAPA: El Rancho to Agua Caliente, 26 Jan 1905, Kellerman 4558 (US). JALAPA: Cerro Alcoba, east of Jalapa, 2 Dec 1939, Steyermark 32598 (F); Jalapa, Nov 1940, Standley 76548 (GH); Jalapa to San Pedro Pinula, 12 Nov 1940, Standley 77000 (F). CHIMALTENANGO: San Martin Jilotepeque to Chimaltenango, 25 Nov 1938, Standley 57937 (F); 22 Dec 1940, 80945 (F). ESCUINTLA: Santa Lucia, 1891, J J. Rodriguez 2795 (US). HONDURAS. MORAZAN: km 26, Tegucigalpa to Zamorano, 4 Ju11964, Gilmartin 946 (US). SAL-VADOR. SANTA ANA: San Jose, 18 Dec 1950. Rohweder 398 (Z); 399 (HBG); 5 Feb 1951, 400-403 (HBG); 4 May 1951, 404 (B).


Updated 11/11/20