Tillandsia landbeckii ssp. andina     W.Till   Die Bromelie 3/1991 (1991)

 

Plant- flowering to 13 (-20) cm high, making a 6 to 8 (-12) cm long stem, with the leaf sheath 3 to 4 mm diameter.  Internodes 4 to 5 mm long.

Leaf- distichous, awl-like, relatively soft.

Leaf sheath- firmly covering the stem, about 1 cm long, densely scaled, not any nerve ridges recognisable.

Leaf blade- erect spreading, roundish in cross section, top side with distinct groove, above the middle towards the top geniculate and flat, thin acuminate, 5 to 10 cm long, sub-spreading, grey scaled, the basal portion 1.5 to 2 mm diameter.

Scape- (3-) 4 to 6 (-12) cm long, scaled, about 0.5 to 0.8 mm diameter, directly under the  inflorescence.

Inflorescence- 1 flowered, usually with 2 outer densely scaled, hardly nerved, and at the most short tailed scape-bract directly under the inflorescence.

Flower- chasmogam (opening for cross pollination) Scented

Flower bract- as long or shorter than the sepals, weakly nerved, tipped egg shaped and often with a very short blade, densely scaled, sometimes with raphides (crystal bundles) in specialized areas, (13-) 15 to (16) nerved, (7-) 9.5 to 12 (-13) mm long, (5.2) 6.2 to 6.6 (-6.9) mm wide.

Sepal- upside down egg shaped, with broad tipped tip, (7-) 9 to 11 (13) nerved, naked, very rarely whole tiny scales in the middle, abundant with raphides, uniformly free or the posterior ones joined minimally; (8-) 9 to 10.6 mm long, (4.2-) 4.8 to 5.5 mm wide, abundantly reddish brown in the middle.

Petal- tongue shaped, narrowing to the tip or with a weak, long oval platte, the tip uniformly round or rounded, 7 to 9 nerves with raphides, (9.9-) 11.9 to 14.1 (-15) mm long, 2.5 to 3.2 mm wide, dirty brown.

Anther- orange, (1-) 1.4 to 1.8 mm long, 0.25 to 0.35 mm diameter.

Filament- joined at base, rarely wholly joined in center; (4.2-) 4.5 to 5.6 (-6) mm long, 0.2 mm wide, pale, one-nerved.

Style- 0.25 to 0.33 times as wide as the ovary, 0.5 to 0.66 (-1.25) times as long as the ovary.

Stigma- simple, erect, papillose, the entire gynoecium 4.8 to 6 mm long.

Ovary- egg shaped cylindric, stocky, smallest at top, quickly tapering to the slender style.

Capsule- short beaked, mostly stocky, 12 (-20) mm long, 3 to 4 mm diameter.

 

Type- Peru, Dept. Ayacucho, Prov. Lucanas in river valley Rio San José 8 km to the west of Lucanas at 3000 m on vertical cliffs.10.8.1982 leg W Till & E Vitek 820810/59.1 (=WT169) Holotype WU

 

Differs from species in that it has

1. Leaves more robust.

2. Petals yellow brown to brown.

3. Flowers scented and chasmogamous.

4. Capsules thicker.

5. Distribution different

 


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