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Key to Tillandsia

Bromeliaceae

Tillandsia

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(c) Wong, Michelle - CC-BY
(c) Bradley, Keith
(c) Fleming, Gary P.
1 Leaves distichous (2-ranked); inflorescence 1-2 (-3) flowered; [subgenus Diaphoranthema].
© Scott Ward
(c) Weakley, Alan - CC0
(c) Cressler, Alan M.
  2 Plants in dense, more or less spherical clusters; inflorescence scapose, exserted from the cluster, of (1-) 2 (-3) flowers; corolla violet
© Scott Ward
(c) Cressler, Alan M.
(c) Fleming, Gary P.
  2 Plants in elongate, pendulous festoons; inflorescence sessile, of a single flower; corolla yellowish green
© Scott Ward
(c) Campos, Aidan
1 Leaves arranged in a close spiral; inflorescence (3-) many-flowered; [subgenus Tillandsia].
(c) Campos, Aidan
    3 Leaves narrowly linear, 1-5 mm wide (-10 mm wide in T. floridana) when measured at mid-length.
      4 Leaf sheaths conspicuously inflated at the base, 1.5-3.5 cm wide at base, the plant pseudobulbous; scapes < 15 cm long.
(c) Marcum, Paul
        5 Scapes 7-17 cm long; [s. TX]
        5 Scapes < 6 cm long; [FL peninsula].
(c) Montes de Oca, Joseph - CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG
          6 Inflorescence linear to narrowly elliptic in outline; base of floral bracts visible at anthesis
(c) Cressler, Alan M.
          6 Inflorescence broadly elliptic in outline; base of floral bracts not visible at anthesis
      4 Leaf sheaths slightly or not at all inflated, the plant not pseudobulbous; scapes 8-39 cm long.
(c) Cressler, Alan M.
             7 Leaf sheaths narrowly elliptic, slightly inflated, 1.2-2.0 cm wide
             7 Leaf sheaths broadly elliptic to triangular, flat, 0.8-2.5 cm wide.
(c) Horn, Jay
(c) Campos, Aidan
               8 Leaves finely lepidote, appearing green or reddish; floral bracts green or reddish, uniformly lepidote; corolla lavender
(c) Cressler, Alan M.
(c) Keim, Mary - CC-BY-NC-SA, permission granted to NCBG
(c) Marcum, Paul
               8 Leaves densely and coarsely lepidote, appearing gray; floral bracts rose or red, becoming merely sparsely lepidote toward base; corolla violet.
(c) Marcum, Paul
(c) Cressler, Alan M.
                 9 Leaves 15-30, not over 0.5 cm wide at mid-length; inflorescence simple or 1-pinnate, with 1-5 branches
(c) Keim, Mary - CC-BY-NC-SA, permission granted to NCBG
                 9 Leaves 20-50, 0.5-1.0 cm wide at mid-length; inflorescence 1-2-pinnate, with 2-10 branches
© Scott Ward
    3 Leaves broader, 6-35 mm wide when measured at mid-length.
(c) Cressler, Alan M.
                   10 Leaf sheaths conspicuously inflated, the plant pseudobulbous (narrowed to a 'waist' upwards, above the base thickened by the inflated leaf sheaths).
(c) Campos, Aidan
(c) Cressler, Alan M.
                     11 Leaf blades and scape bracts twisted, reflexed
(c) Campos, Aidan - CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG
(c) maryrebeccau - CC-BY-NC
                     11 Leaf blades and scape bracts erect to spreading
© Scott Ward
                   10 Leaf sheaths flat or slightly and broadly channeled, the plant not pseudobulbous (cylindrical or broadened-flaring upwards).
                       12 Floral bracts spreading and/or small, exposing most of the rachis at anthesis.
(c) Campos, Aidan
                          13 Leaves 10-20, spirally twisted, cross-banded green and silver; corolla pink
(c) Patton, Sean - CC-BY-NC
(c) Cressler, Alan M.
                          13 Leaves 20-75, not twisted, unicolored; corolla cream
(c) Hammer, Roger L.
                       12 Floral bracts imbricate, broad, covering all or most of the rachis (the rachis not visible at anthesis).
(c) Ward, Scott G - CC-BY
(c) Montes de Oca, Joseph - CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG
                            14 Leaves soft and brittle; inflorescence simple or with 1-3 branches; floral bracts 0.6-0.9 cm wide
(c) Campos, Aidan
                            14 Leaves tough and leathery; inflorescence palmately to pinnately branched, with 3-15 branches; floral bracts 1.2-2.0 cm wide.