This form is from Cajamarca, the major city in the northern Andean highlands in Peru. The area is 2,650 meters above sea-level and the plants likes cool evenings growing in our shadehouse. It is one of the larger forms of T. latifolia, and has heavy silver-grey leaves.
Cajamarca is where the Spanish invader Pizarro captured and assassinated the Inca Emperor Atahualpa in 1533.
This is a reasonably small form, grown from seed collected by Karel Knize of Peru. It was labelled "Tillandsia micans KK53," sown in 1991 and flowered for the first time in April 2000. The plant is 35cm high, including the inflorescence, and 25cm diameter. Appears to be variety divaricata.
Another batch of seed from Karel Knize of Peru, this time labelled "Tillandsia refiflora KK124 new, flower white, rare." The plants are slightly larger than AF91315 (above) at 40 cm high in flower and 33 to 35 cm diameter. Another Tillandsia latifolia var. divaricata.
A very small form, grown from seed supplied by Karel Knize of Peru, who called it "Tillandsia Purpurea v. Huacho KK115." In flower, the plant is 10cm high, and 8 cm in diameter. We think it is a form of T. latifolia var. latifolia.
Bought by us as Enano, this small plant produced a stalk but no flowers - just a single young plant on the end as shown in the photo!
In our current catalog, these were imported from Rainforest Flora. The "Red" appears to refer to the bracts.
From Ecuador and Peru where it often grows lying on sand. There are many different forms of this species, and it is probably in need of some botanic sorting-out.
We have been told that AF91139 if variety divaricata, which has us puzzled. We have another plant we think is var. divaricata, that is 2.7 meters long in flower, and has a many-branched (compound) inflorescence! It is most likely a small form of T. latifolia var. latifolia.
var. latifolia "Enano." According to Paul Isley (1987, p. 70) "Enano" is not more than 8cm in diameter and 6cm high in nature, and there are two forms: one with leaf blades 1cm. diameter, the other 2cm. AB127 (photo above) is 15cm in diameter and 10cm. high with leaf blades 1cm diameter. Which would make our plant too large, and too slender to match the "Enano" description..
