| "This all started with Linnaeus in 1762. I do not have access to his description of this plant although I do have the description in Baker's Bromeliaceae (1889) which states "T. polystachia branch-bracts small, ovate, green". (Photo 01) This is confirmed in Mez 1935. However, Smith reduced T. parvispica (from South Brazil) to a synonym of T. polystachia but ignored Baker's description of T. parvispica which said "branch-bracts ovate with long linear points". This T. parvispica was resurrected by Luther in De Rebus I (1994) but he gave no reason for his action. At the same time he reduced T. pfisteri Rauh Bromelien Studien XV (1984) from Recife Brazil to synonymy under T. parvispica. | ) Photo 01 |
Description of T. parvispica Baker including T. pfisteri Rauh.
Let us now go to 1977 when Flora Neotropica No 14 part II was published.. T. polystachia sensu Smith is widespread and was reputedly from Florida, West Indies, Mexico to Brazil and Bolivia. The Florida reference can now be deleted because it appears that Lyman Smith was referring to the now T. xsmalliana (Photo 02 & 03). However, Luther used the drawing of Foster's 1140 to illustrate his T. xsmalliana in JBS 1989 p24!!! While T. polystachia seems more common in the Northern Hemisphere Lyman Smith decided to use a drawing of Foster's 1140 (photo 04a) which had been collected in Mata Grosso but which clearly showed the elliptic, acute primary bracts which are much shorter than the spikes. But let us also look at Foster's drawing of the same collection which shows a different shape primary bract suggesting T. parvispica (Photo 04b). If you are confused about this what do you think I did when I saw these problems?!
) Photo 02 |
) Photo 03 |
) Photo 04a |
) Photo 04b |
In 1983 in Feddes Repertorium, Wilhelm Weber described T. belloensis (see my translation and Photos 06, 07, 08) citing a collection made by Renate Ehlers in 1982. In 1992 Lloyd Kiff in Distributional Check-List of the Genus Tillandsia made T. belloensis synonymous with T. polystachia but prompt action by Renate Ehlers in Bromeliad Society Inc. Journal 1993 p74 reinstated T. belloensis to its correct status.
) Photo 06 |
) Photo 07 |
) Photo 08 |
In Flora Novo-Galiciana McVaugh (1989) we read for T. polystachia "Primary bracts elliptic, acute, long acuminate or caudate, their tips (blades) surpassing the proximal spikes". No comment was made to its difference from that in previous descriptions by others.
In January 2000 Andrew Flower from New Zealand wanted to know why my Tillandsia key on http://fcbs.org did not work for T. polystachia because he had grown on seed by this name and the plants just did not fit! (photos 09, 10). T belloensis was not in my Key at that time purely because I did not think it was common in collections. This prompt by Andrew reminded me of Renate Ehlers' article in the BSI Journal in 1993 and I supplied him with my translation of Weber's description. His plants fitted the description! The key was quickly updated because clearly T. belloensis was much more common than I thought. I even found its photograph in Isley's Tillandsia book (1987) under the name of T. polystachia (see Photo 11) This really set alarm bells ringing and - shock - horror the error was still with us in Hiroyuki Takizawa's Tillandsia Handbook. On page 78, the white flowered form of T. polystachia (photo 12) seems correct, but the plant said to represent a typical T. polystachia is typical T. belloensis (photo 13). On page 34 where T. belloensis is featured, this seemed to have a much narrower spike (photo 14) than a typical T. belloensis but further investigation has revealed that the plant is within the description. This looks similar to a plant that Renate Ehlers was going to call var. angustispica (photo 15).
) Photo 09 |
) Photo 10 |
) Photo 11 |
) Photo 12 |
) Photo 13 |
) Photo 14 |
) Photo 15 |
These discrepancies had me contacting Renate Ehlers and her penchant for detail now has me the proud owner of 22 photocopies of herbarium specimens from all manner of places from this polystachia/parvispica/belloensis complex.
Clearly the closest to T. polystachia sensu Smith is Ehlers EM82212 found near Nejapa in Oaxaca, Mexico (Photo 16).
Just to indicate how close these plants are I am also showing you a copy of herbarium specimens of T. pfisteri Rauh (photo 17, 18, 19) from Heidelberg AND EM890101 (photo 20) from Fortin, Vera Cruz, Mexico. Is EM890101 a T. polystachia or T. parvispica sensu Luther?
) Photo 16 |
) Photo 17 |
) Photo 18 |
) Photo 19 |
) Photo 20 |
) Photo 21 |
I think I can now tell the difference between these three species but much overlapping of habitat and slight variations in form has convinced me that 22 herbarium specimens is but a start to truly solve this puzzle. One example (photo 21) shows the problems we face."
A key to the three species and one natural hybrid, under my current interpretation based on my own Tillandsia key is as follows:-
Petal color - blue/violet
Stamens - longer than petals
Inflorescence - compound
Plant - not with grass-like leaves
Scape - protruding from the leaf rosette
Floral bracts - close together and rhachis not visible
Spikes - sword-shaped more than 4 flowered
| Leaves - forming an open funnel-shaped rosette | 1. | |
| Leaves - at base forming an oval to cylindric bulb and then spreading wide | xsmalliana | |
| 1. | Primary bracts - elliptic and acute, shorter than spike Inflorescence - dense, cylindric to spindle shaped to 30cm long Floral bracts - glabrous Leaves - green |
polystachia |
| 1a. | Primary bracts - narrow triangular, shorter than the spike but longer than the sterile section Inflorescence - lax with upright spikes Floral bracts - sparsely scaled and exceeding the sepals Leaves - strong, whitish grey |
parvispica |
| 1b. | Primary bracts - narrow triangular with long blade Sheath - of those for the basal spike equals the spike and the blade much surpasses Inflorescence upright with spikes partly erect and visible especially in the top section Floral bracts - glabrous, green with red edges Leaves - green |
belloensis |