Tillandsia bandensis Baker (1887: 234)

Rossado, Andrés J., Donadío, Sabina & Bonifacino, José M., 2024, A taxonomic revision of Tillandsia (Tillandsioideae, Bromeliaceae) from Uruguay, Phytotaxa 667 (1), pp. 1-90 : 1-90

3. Tillandsia bandensis Baker (1887: 234) .

Type (lectotype designated by Rossado et al. 2019: 16):— URUGUAY. Without locality: s.d., Tweedie s.n. (K000321911 [online image!]; isolectotype: K000321976! [online image!]) .

Plants caulescent, much branched from the base and forming dense clumps up to 25 cm in diameter. Roots 0.3–0.8 mm diameter, only present at the base of the stem. Stems up to 18 cm long but generally shorter. Leaves distichously arranged, distributed along the stem, grayish; sheaths 8–15 × 6–13 mm, distinct from the blade, widely ovate to widely elliptic-ovate, densely to subdensely lepidote except for the glabrous base; blades (25–)35–70 × 1.5–2 mm, suberect to reflexed, very narrowly triangular to linear, channelled for at least ¾ of the length, fleshy, densely tomentose-lepidote on both sides, trichomes asymmetric. Inflorescences simple; peduncles bracteate but partly exposed, (4.7–)6.5–12.5(–14) cm long, 0.5–1.2 mm in diameter, basal portion subdensely lepidote, apical portion glabrous to subdensely lepidote; peduncle bracts (1)2 to 3(4) in number (sometimes one more, basal and foliaceous), erect, evenly distributed along the peduncle, shorter than the internodes; upper peduncle bract bladeless or with a reduced blade (at most 2 mm long), 9–16(–18) × 3.7–4.2 mm, narrowly elliptic to narrowly oblong, green or green-cinereous to dark purple-cinereous, wholly glabrous to densely lepidote. Spike distichously and densely 1 to 4(5)-flowered, to 47 mm long, complanate, very narrowly elliptic (almost linear) in outline; rachis for most part exposed, green to dark purple (almost blackish), glabrous or rarely with scattered trichomes. Floral bracts not imbricate, equaling or slightly longer than the internodes (0.9–1.6 times as long as the internodes), clasping the base of the flower, bladeless (sometimes with a very short blade less than 1 mm long), widely ovate to widely elliptic, ecarinate, green, dark purple or strawcolored, glabrous to densely lepidote; basal floral bracts (7–)8–16 × 4.9–6.6 mm, shorter to rarely slightly exceeding the sepals. Flowers 11–22 mm long, fragrant; sepals visible, 7.5–15 × 3–4.8 mm, evenly short connate at the base for 0.7–2 mm, narrowly elliptic to narrowly elliptic-obovate, ecarinate, greenish, reddish or vinaceous, glabrous or with some trichomes; petals 14–27.5 mm long, spatulate; claw 1.6–2.8 mm wide, basally semitransparent, then white and apically lilac to light blue; limb (4–)4.4–4.7– 11 mm wide, spreading to reflexed, widely elliptic to orbicular, lilac to light blue and with tiny darker lilac spots, margins entire; stamens 5–8 mm long, deeply included, exceeding the pistil; filaments 3.5–6 mm long, straight (not plicate); pollen yellow-orangish; pistil 2.9–5.4 mm long, deeply included; ovary 1.8–3.5 × 1–1.9 mm, cylindrical-ellipsoid, tapering into the style; style 0.7–2.3 mm long, shorter than the ovary, whitish; stigmas simple-truncate. Capsules 17–33 × 1.2–2.6 mm, much exceeding its respective floral bract, cylindrical-prismatic to narrowly ellipsoid-prismatic, apex acute to obtuse and short-beaked.

Classification:— Tillandsia bandensis belongs to T. subg. Diaphoranthema ( Granados Mendoza et al. 2017; Donadío et al. 2022). Infraspecific classification comprises two subspecies, both occurring in Uruguay.

Distinctive and field characters:— Tillandsia bandensis is distinguished from the rest of the species in the genus by its leaves distichously arranged, floral bracts equal or slightly longer than the internodes, and petals blades wider than 4 mm.

Background in Uruguay:— Tillandsia bandensis was published in 1887 based on herbarium specimens collected in Uruguay.