Tillandsia tectorum

Tillandsia tectorum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Bromeliaceae
Genus: Tillandsia
Subgenus: Tillandsia subg. Viridantha
Species:
T. tectorum
Binomial name
Tillandsia tectorum
E.Morren
Synonyms[1]
  • Tillandsia argentea K.Koch & Verschaff. 1868, illegitimate homonym, not Griseb. 1866
  • Tillandsia rupicola Baker
  • Tillandsia saxicola Mez
  • Tillandsia tectorum f. gigantea L.Hrom.
  • Tillandsia tectorum var. globosa L.Hrom.
  • Tillandsia tectorum var. viridula L.Hrom.

Tillandsia tectorum is a species of flowering plant in the genus Tillandsia. It is native to Peru and Ecuador.[1] It is the only species of Tillandsia native to Ecuador.

The leaves have dense trichomes covering the entire plant. It is often said that this is to absorb water better in the cloudy Ecuadorian forests, but their true function is the opposite. The trichomes provide a surface for more rapid evaporation. T. tectorum grows in areas with strong winds, thick fogs, heavy rain, and moments of bright light as clouds move away. Without a large surface area for evaporation and the light-scattering properties of the trichomes, the plant would be suffocated from the humidity and scalded by the intense sunlight.[2]

Cultivars

  • Tillandsia 'Enano'[3]
  • Tillandsia 'Sweet Isabel'[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ^ Benzing, D. H.; Seemann, J.; Renfrow, A. (1987). "THE FOLIAR EPIDERMIS IN TILLANDSIOIDEAE (BROMELIACEAE) AND ITS ROLE IN HABITAT SELECTION". American Journal of Botany. 65 (3): 359–365. doi:10.1002/j.1537-2197.1978.tb06079.x. ISSN 0002-9122.
  3. ^ a b BSI Cultivar Registry Archived 2009-12-02 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 11 October 2009


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