Tillandsia ionantha

Tillandsia ionantha, the air plant, is a species of plant in the genus Tillandsia. This species is native to Central America and Mexico. It is also reportedly naturalized in Broward County, Florida, United States.

Description

They are acaulescent or sometimes shortly caulescent plants, with a size of 6–8 cm high. The leaves are 4–9 cm long; with pods 0.6–1 cm wide, densely patent fabric; narrow triangular sheets, 0.3–0.4 cm wide, dense lepidota indument, foliaceous bracts; compound inflorescence, with 1–3 flowers, primary foliaceous bracts, much longer than the spikes, floral bracts 3 cm long, longer than the sepals and covering them in the anthesis, ecarinated, inconspicuously nervate, glabrous, membranous, sessile flowers; sepals are 2 cm long, free, the posterior carinate, the anterior ecarinated; purple petals. Capsules are 2.5–4.5 cm long.

Taxonomy

Tillandsia ionantha was described by Jules Emile Planchon and published in Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l'Europe 10: 101, t. 1006. 1854–1855 .

Etymology

Tillandsia: generic name that was named by Carl Linnaeus in 1738 in honor of the Finnish doctor and botanist Elias Tillandz.
ionantha: epithet Latin meaning "with violet flowers"

Synonymy

Tillandsia ionantha f. fastigiata P.Koide
Tillandsia ionantha var. Max Ehlers
Tillandsia ionantha var. scaposa LBSmith
Tillandsia ionantha var. stricta P.Koide
Tillandsia ionantha var. van-hyningii MBFoster
Tillandsia ionantha var. zebrina BTFoster
Tillandsia rubentifolia Poisson & Menet
Tillandsia scopus Hook. F. 4

Varieties

Two varieties are recognized:

Tillandsia ionantha var. ionantha – most of species range
Tillandsia ionantha var. stricta Koide – Oaxaca