Tillandsia kuehhasii     W.Till                  Die Bromelie  2/1995

 

Plant- forming clumps, dense, to 25 cm long shoots, but usually the front two fifths with live leaves, with strong clasping roots.

Leaf- densely distichous, straight towards the front, white and flexible.

Leaf sheath- broad egg shaped, enclosing the stem, about 15 mm long, densely scaled, merging into the blade.

Leaf blade- 5 to 7.5 cm long, 2 mm diameter next to sheath, awl like, with dense and adpressed scales, top side with an imprinted long furrow.

Scape- almost missing at flowering, after flowering 2 to 2.5 cm long, almost glabrous, grooved when dry, with 1 bract at the base.

Inflorescence- erect, reduced to 1 flower.

Flower bracts- broad egg shaped, short tipped, outside densely scaled, 10 to 12 nerved, shorter than the sepals.

Sepal- (10-) 13.5 to 14 mm long, lanceolate, tipped, weakly scaled, the posterior blunt keeled and joined for half the length.

Petal- tongue shaped, the tip bent over to rolled over, brown, 15 to 17 mm long.

Stamen & Stigma-. Deeply enclosed in flower tube.

 

Type- Bolivia, Dept. Chuquisaca /Potosi on the road Sucre to Ravelo near Mount Cerro de Chatajilla, 3600 m, on rocks, clumping, on almost vertical rocks, collected Kirschnek and Kühhas  1986 (Holo and Iso WU)

 

Differs from T. virescens in

1. Grows much larger.

2. Stems – to 25 cm long.

3. Leaves – longer and thicker.

4. Sepals – larger and posterior only 1/2 connate.