Tillandsioideae

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Tillandsioideae

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Taxonomy

Generally the System of Lyman B. Smith, in his Monograph (Smith & Downs, 1977) is followed. Some of the genera, are difficult to distinguish. The genera Vriesea and Tillandsia are distinguished from each other by the presence or absence respectively of ligules on the petal- claw. Generally, Tillandsia is characterized by having narrowly triangular leaf blades, and Vriesea by having ligulate leaf blades. However, ligules on the petal-claw may vary from present to absent even within one species (two Guiana species). Moreover, there are also many Tillandsia species having ligulate leaf blades, and Vriesea species having narrowly triangular leaf blades, or even species which have both (in different varieties). This makes these two genera highly artificial, but in my view it would be premature to put Tillandsia and Vriesea in one genus, because the Tillandsia-Vriesea group is rather heterogeneous, containing ca. 750 species, and more study of (fresh) flower material is needed to distinguish more natural groups.
Mezobromelia and Guzmania are characterized by having the petals conglutinate in a petal-tube for the length of the sepals (free or shortly conglutinate in Vriesea species). Mezobromelia species, moreover, should have ligules on the petal-claw as in Vriesea. The petals of Tillandsia pleiosticha Grisebach are only shortly conglutinate, and bear ligules on the base, and this species is therefore placed in Vriesea. There are no Mezobromelia species known from the Guiana area. Guzmania sphaeroidea (Andre) Andre ex Mez is a typical Guzmania species (close to G. altsonii L.B. Smith), but the petals are barely (if at all) conglutinate, and fall apart in living material.
Under these circumstances it would be unpractical to make separate keys for Tillandsia and Vriesea (37 species). In the key to Guzmania species, the polystichously flowered Vrieseas are included. In the key to the species of Tillandsioideae, based on vegetative characters, general characteristics of the species are used, nearly always of fullgrown plants, but measures are used as far down the key as possible. It will not always be possible to key out to the species. Descriptions are made using collections of the Guianas and surroundings only (except in Vriesea capituligera, included later), but sometimes other material is used when few collections of the Guiana area were available. The total of measured collections is given, and the Guiana collections are specified within brackets (GU = Guyana, SU = Surinam, FG = French Guiana).