| A1 | STAMENS & STYLE | Shorter or equalling petals. (see Fig. 3) | 82 |
| Longer than petals. (see Fig. 3) | 2 | ||
| A2 | INFLORESCENCE | Compound (see Fig. 2) | 29 |
| Simple (see Fig. 1) | 3 | ||
| A3 | FLOWER | Distichously on rhachis. | 10 |
| Spirally on rhachis or inflorescence only 2-5 flowered. | 4 | ||
| A4 | SEPAL | ca 3.4 cm long | 4A |
| Up to 2.8 cm long | 5 | ||
| A4A | SEPAL | 3.4 cm long densely lepidote. | macdougallii |
| 3.3 cm long, glabrous. Leaf blade to 14 cm long, Pruinose. Sheath light brown. | velickiana | ||
| A5 | LEAF SHEATH | Brown to dark brownish black contrasting with blades, making a loose bulbose rosette | oaxacana |
| otherwise | 6 | ||
| A6 | LEAF | Thin grasslike. Flower stem to 45 cm. Inflorescence long and narrow. (Inflorescence usually compound with distichous spikes) | setiformis |
| Not thin grasslike | 6A | ||
| A6A | FLOWER STEM | Very short or missing. 2-5 flowered | 7 |
| 3-7 cm long | 8 | ||
| A7 | FLOWER STEM | Short. Leaf robust, awllike ca. 6cm long. | scaposa |
| Missing | 7A | ||
| A7A | LEAF | thin, filiform 10-15 cm long | magnusiana |
| robust, narrow-triangular, 5 - 7 cm long, 1 cm wide. Inner leaves showing a pinkish tinge at anthesis | kammii | ||
| robust, awllike ca 6 cm long, 5 mm wide inner leaves turning red at anthesis. | ionantha | ||
| A8 | FLORAL BRACT | Naked, Light red. Inflorescence hanging | andrieuxii |
| Dense grey scales | 9 | ||
| A9 | PLANT | With short stem. Flower stem 6 - 7cm long. Leaf blade 2 cm wide at base, 10cm long. Floral bract and sepal glabrous. | hondurensis |
| With long stem to 80 cm long. Flower stem to 12 cm long. Leaf blade 1.5 cm wide, 15cm long. Floral bract and sepal lepidote | harrisii | ||
| A10 | FLOWER | Spaced out on rhachis or rhachis clearly visible. | 11 |
| Closely arranged on rhachis. Inflorescence often sword shaped. | 12 | ||
| A11 | LEAF | Thin, filiform evenly spaced 3 -7 cm long with the sheaths forming a globose bulb. Flowers very lax. | fuchsii |
| Not filiform | 11A | ||
| A11A | LEAF | Blade to 10cm long, awllike, upright with the sheath forming an oblong bulb. Inflorescence almost sword shaped. | ariza-juliae |
| Not forming a bulb. | 11B | ||
| A11B | INFLORESCENCE | 1 cm wide to 9 cm long, Leaf blade to 16 cm long, narrow triangular (10 mm wide)Inflorescence laxly 5 - 7 flowered | pueblensis |
| 3 - 5 cm wide, 5 cm - 30 cm long, Leaf blade 15 mm wide, inflorescence 9 - 25 flowered. Petals appendaged | Vriesea barclayana | ||
| A12 | PLANT | Not bulbose | 16 |
| Bulb forming at base or slender flask forming. | 13 | ||
| A13 | PLANT | Thick with grey rough spreading scales giving a frosted look. | 15 |
| With appressed scales. | 14 | ||
| A14 | LEAFBLADE | Not grooved | 14A |
| Strongly grooved, narrow triangular tapering to a point, upright, tip often bent one way. | circinnatoides | ||
| A14A | FLORAL BRACT | Green, leaf sheaths 2.6 cm wide. Leaf blades narrow triangular grey green but reddish especially top third. | turquinensis |
| pale rose, lepidote leaves grey green | baileyi | ||
| A15 | LEAF | Almost disk shaped sheath, abruptly becoming awllike, then contorted filiform towards the tip, 2-4 mm diameter. Floral bract keeled at the tip. Inflorescence 3 - 4 cm wide. | pruinosa |
| Sheath spoon shaped merging into short blade with longitudinal nerves like circinnatoides. Spike to 14 cm long, 6 - 8mm wide, bracts pink and lepidote. | weberi | ||
| Sheath spoon shaped merging into blade which is to 10cm long, scape very short, inflorescence 4 - 5cm long, 2.5 - 3cm wide, bracts bright red | delicata | ||
| Broadly ovate sheath gradually becoming narrow triangular,erect to spreading. Floral bract not keeled. Inflorescence 3-8cm long. | klausii | ||
| A16 | PLANT | Long stems | werdermannii |
| Sessile, occasionally with short stem | 17 | ||
| A17 | PLANT | Not with thin grass like leaves | 19 |
| With thin grasslike leaves | 18 | ||
| A18 | LEAF SHEATH | Thin triangular (8 - 15 mm wide) | 18A |
| Broad,oval (ca 30mm wide),Leathery brown. Leaf blade 6 mm wide, with thin lines. | ortgiesiana | ||
| A18A | PETAL | Forming a tube, only tip rolled outwards. Leaves in 5 rows (rarely 4). Looking downwards from top seems star shaped. | pentasticha |
| A19 | FLOWER | Reddish lilac, leaf short, stiff, hard, pungent | concolor |
| Not reddish lilac | 20 | ||
| A20 | INFLORESCENCE | Hanging | schatzlii |
| Upright | 21 | ||
| A21 | LEAF | Thin, triangular, spreading wide to recurved; long | 23 |
| Thin, triangular,often secund, dense coarse pruinose. Petals dark violet often with white at extreme tip | mitlaensis | ||
| Broad, triangular, erect,stiff | 22 | ||
| A22 | INFLORESCENCE | Sword shaped to 50 cm long. Floral bract pale carmine red, scales white. Flower dark blue violet | califani |
| Not over 15 cm long. Floral bract green or pink. | circinnatoides | ||
| A23 | PETAL | 4 - 7 cm long | 24 |
| to 3.5cm long, Sepal 1.5cm long, floral bracts inflated, light red | rhomboidea | ||
| A24 | FLORAL BRACT | naked | 25 |
| Dense grey scales | 27 | ||
| Sparsely lepidote, rose purple, median nerve prominent, twice as long as sepals. | rhomboidea | ||
| naked but for dense pale lepidote at tip and top edge, sepal 2cm long | tricolor | ||
| A25 | SPIKE | 7.5 cm wide | jalisco-monticola |
| 4 cm wide | 26 | ||
| to 2.5 cm wide | tricolor | ||
| A26 | FLORAL BRACT | Beaked, complanate, prominently nerved or ridged. From mainland | fasciculata var. venosispica |
| Yellow or rusty orange, beaked, inflated to complanate. From Caribbean Islands | compressa | ||
| A27 | SEPAL | free | chiapensis |
| fused for 6 mm (Renate Ehlers - inflorescence can be simple or up to 9) |
elizabethiae | ||
| A28 | NOT USED | ||
| A29 | PLANT | Not with grasslike leaves | 32 |
| with thin grasslike leaves | 30 | ||
| A30 | LEAF | green. Flower spike bent, spreading | festucoides |
| grey or brown scaled | 30A | ||
| A30A | LEAF | grey scaled | 31 |
| brown scaled. Leaves in 5 rows (rarely 4) looking down from top seems star shaped | pentasticha | ||
| A31 | INFLORESCENCE | Capitate, spike short and closely digitate | juncea |
| Not capitate | 31A | ||
| A31A | INFLORESCENCE | To 12 cm long. Scape bract grey green. Floral bract hides sepal. | 31B |
| To 20 cm long. Scape bract carmine red at base. Floral bract shorter than sepal | hammeri | ||
| A31B | INFLORESCENCE | Spikes turned edgewise to axis | setacea |
| Spikes with flat side to axis | 31C | ||
| A31C | FLORAL BRACT | To 4cm long. Petals to 6cm long Primary bracts as long as lower spike Note: this plant has been distributed in Germany and probably elsewhere as T. chaetophylla by Lau |
setiformis |
| To 16mm long. Petals to 4.5cm long Primary bracts usually much shorter than the lower spikes |
31D | ||
| A31D | LEAF SHEATH | Triangular. Leaf 20 - 40cm long, 1.5-2cm wide | bartramii |
| Ovate. Leaf 20-40cm long, 1.5-2cm wide | simulata | ||
| A32 | FLOWER STEM | Long, protruding from the leaf rosette | 44 |
| Short or missing, not protruding from the leaf rosette | 32A | ||
| A32A | FLOWER STEM | Missing. Plant bulblike 2 - 2.5 cm wide | diguetii |
| Short | 33 | ||
| A33 | INFLORESCENCE | Thick,cone shaped, spike with light red primary bract. | imperialis |
| Not coned shaped | 34 | ||
| A34 | FLORAL BRACT | Naked | 40 |
| More or less scaled | 35 | ||
| A35 | BASE of PLANT | Bulb like | 35A |
| Not Bulb like | 36 | ||
| A35A | BULB | To 8 cm wide, 10 cm high. Inflorescence capitate. Spike 3 cm long, 1.8 cm wide. Sepals free. | ehlersiana |
| Slender, 3 - 4 cm broad | 35B | ||
| A35B | FLORAL BRACT | Much exceeding the sepals, spike to 7 cm long to 4cm wide. Tight bulb | pruinosa |
| Shorter than sepals, spike to 4 cm long to 3 cm wide. Loose bulb | praschekii | ||
| A36 | SPIKE | 2 - 4 flowers | 37 |
| 5 or more flowers | 38 | ||
| A37 | LEAF | Blades grey scaled. Inflorescence upright. | capitata |
| Blades green with inconspicuous scales. Spike 2 flowered. Floral bracts and sepals lepidote. | abdita | ||
| A38 | SPIKE | 5 - 6 flowered | 38A |
| 5 - 10 flowered in a fusiform inflorescence 20 - 40 cm long, floral bracts distinctly nerved and lepidote at tip and margins. | aguascalientensis | ||
| 8 or more flowered, sword shaped | 38B | ||
| A38A | SPIKE | Roundish, lax | vernardoi |
| Flat. Inflorescence narrow spindle shaped. Petals appendaged | Vriesea tillandsioides | ||
| A38B | SPIKE | More or less straight to erect | 38C |
| Bent with side spikes at right angles. Each spike resembles T. califani | copanensis | ||
| A38C | LEAF | Green grey. | 38D |
| Grey scaled | 39 | ||
| A38D | FLORAL BRACT | Densely lepidote, keeled. Sepals lepidote. Lower branches of inflorescence much divided. (Renate Ehlers - Inflorescence often bipinnate) |
calothyrsus |
| Sparsely lepidote, keeled. Sepals naked | sueae | ||
| A39 | INFLORESCENCE | To 2 compound spikes. Petals dark violet, white tips, 4 cm long. (Renate Ehlers - Inflorescence can be simple or up to 9) |
elizabethiae |
| To 5 - 6 compound spikes. Petals blue, 6cm long | carlsoniae | ||
| A40 | SPIKE | 1 - 2 flowered masked by the primary bract. | 40A |
| 3 or more flowered | 41 | ||
| A40A | INFLORESCENCE | Densely capitate, primary bracts cherry-red | brachycaulos |
| Densely capitate, primary bracts carmine-red. Leaves velvety to touch | velutina | ||
| Laxly compound, 16 cm long IF YOU EVER GET THIS FAR contact us because we doubt the existence of this species!! |
graebneri | ||
| A41 | SPIKE | Very thin to 1.4 cm wide | 42 |
| Over 1.5 cm wide/ 8 - 20 cm long | 43 | ||
| A42 | SPIKE | 15 - 35 cm long | 42A |
| 3 - 10 cm long | 42B | ||
| A42A | INFLORESCENCE | Upright, fan forming | flabellata |
| Hanging, double compound to 1.5m long. | juerg-rutschmannii | ||
| A42B | SPIKE | 3 - 5 cm long | 42C |
| 9 - 10 cm long | flagellata | ||
| A42C | PRIMARY BRACT | For lower spikes, hides the spike, red. | foliosa |
| For lower spikes,shorter than the spike, pink. (Harry Luther - Bract colour red and maybe brighter than foliosa) |
chlorophylla | ||
| A43 | SPIKE | To 20 cm long, 7.5 cm wide | jalisco-monticola |
| To 13 cm long, 2 - 3cm wide | 43A | ||
| A43A | SEPAL | 2.5 - 3.5 cm long | concolor |
| 1.5 cm long | rhomboidea | ||
| A44 | FLORAL BRACT | Arranged close together, therefore rhachis not visible. | 44A |
| Arranged close together but rhachis barely visible. | 44B | ||
| Arranged laxly therefore Rhachis is visible. | 45 | ||
| A44A | SPIKE | Sword shaped, more than 4 flowered | 51 |
| Sword-shaped, 1 to 4 flowered | 44C | ||
| Almost tubular at flowering. Primary and floral bracts rose, dense grey lepidote | subteres | ||
| A44B | SPIKE | to 2 cm wide | 44D |
| 3.5 to 4.5 cm wide | mooreana | ||
| A44C | PETALS | Dark blue-violet, floral bract equalling sepal | capitata |
| Light blue-violet with white tip, floral bract exceeding sepal, scape to 35cm long with scape bracts to 30cm long | rhodocephala | ||
| A44D | INFLORESCENCE | Upright, the top portion bent down. Petal violet blue, thin white border. Stamens exceed flower tube. | Vriesea olmosana var olmosana |
| Upright, petals greenish-yellow with violet edges. Stigma protruding from flower tube but not stamens | Vriesea olmosana var. pachamamae | ||
| A45 | FLORAL BRACT | Longer or equalling the sepals | 50 |
| Shorter than the sepals | 46 | ||
| A46 | FLOWER | Arranged spirally around the rhachis | spiraliflora |
| Arranged distichously. Petals appendaged | Vriesea hitchcockiana | ||
| Arranged distichously around the rhachis, but sometimes twisted one way. Petals not appendaged. | 47 | ||
| A47 | FLORAL BRACT | Green | makoyana |
| Rose or carmine red | 47A | ||
| A47A | RHACHIS | Strongly angled in zigzag form. Floral bract rose. Leaves thick and rigid. | dasyliriifolia |
| Nearly straight | 48 | ||
| A48 | FLOWER | Arranged distichously. Floral bracts at base green, edges and tip carmine red. | extensa |
| Secund | 49 | ||
| A49 | SEPAL | 4 - 5 cm long. Floral bracts 3.5 cm long. | secunda |
| 2 - 2.5 cm long. Floral bracts 1 - 1.5 cm long. | mima | ||
| A50 | INFLORESCENCE | Numerous young plants in the inflorescence. Floral bracts as long as sepal, tipped violet. | propagulifera |
| No young plants in the inflorescence. Floral bract longer than the sepals. | 50A | ||
| A50A | PETAL | Dark purple, not appendaged. | socialis |
| Dark purple, appendagd | Vriesea rauhii | ||
| Violet to blue violet | 50B | ||
| A50B | LEAF | Purple/black | leucolepis |
| grey with white cross banding | hildae | ||
| A51 | LEAF | Making an open funnel shaped rosette. Base not bulbose. | 59 |
| Its base making a hollow, oval or cylindric to spindle shape bulb. | 52 | ||
| A52 | LEAF BLADE | Turning into spirals | streptophylla |
| Not turning into spirals | 53 | ||
| A53 | LEAF BLADE | Not round awllike nor tubular. Leaf edge forming a groove; Leaf tip forming a corkscrew | balbisiana |
| Narrow triangular, sheaths forming an oval bulb but blades spreading wide. | smalliana | ||
| Round awllike. Edges turning in | 54 | ||
| A54 | LEAF | Thick, spreading with rough scales. | seleriana |
| Thick adpressed scales but not spreading or with rough scales | 55 | ||
| A55 | BULB | Green - brown blotched | butzii |
| Plain not blotched | 56 | ||
| A56 | LEAF SHEATH & LEAF BLADE | With long stripes on the side | pseudobaileyi |
| Smooth not striped | 57 | ||
| A57 | FLORAL BRACT | Naked | caput-medusae |
| Scaled | 58 | ||
| A58 | BULB | Long, cylindric | 58A |
| Short, oval | bulbosa | ||
| A58A | FLOWER STEM | Very long, with viviparous offsets | intermedia |
| Short | paucifolia | ||
| A59 | PRIMARY BRACT | Shorter than the spike | 68 |
| Longer than the spike, especially the lower ones | 60 | ||
| A60 | INFLORESCENCE | Upright or bent upward, not hanging | 63 |
| hanging | 61 | ||
| A61 | PRIMARY BRACT | With short sharply bent back leaf like tip. Inflorescence long. 20-30 compound spikes. | eizii |
| With long slightly bent leaf like tip. Inflorescence short. 8-12 compound spikes | 62 | ||
| A62 | INFLORESCENCE | Laxly compound | violacea |
| Thick almost capitate compound | sierra-juarezensis | ||
| A63 | FLOWER SPIKE | Erect, almost masked by adjacent red primary bract. Petals violet | cauliflora |
| Erect, almost masked by adjacent pale pink primary bract. Petals appearing purple-rose but really cream with dense violet-rose speckles, appendaged | Vriesea sagasteguii | ||
| Partly erect but spikes visible especially in top section, floral bracts green with red edges | belloensis | ||
| Spreading, visible | 64 | ||
| A64 | FLORAL BRACT | 7 cm long, bright red, frosted | yunckeri |
| To 5 cm long | 65 | ||
| A65 | SEPAL | Free | 67 |
| More or less fused at back | 66 | ||
| A66 | FLORAL BRACT | 2 cm long, pink toned, Inflorescence ca erect | variabilis |
| 4 - 4.5 cm long, green or reddish yellow, Inflorescence ca erect | xerographica | ||
| 3.5 - 6 cm long, rose on outside, green inside. Inflorescence bent | wuelfinghoffii | ||
| A67 | SPIKE | 8 mm broad, lancelike, roundish, bent | orogenes |
| 2cm broad, flat | standleyi | ||
| A68 | INFLORESCENCE | Dense | 68A |
| Arranged laxly | 69 | ||
| A68A | INFLORESCENCE | Cylindric to narrow spindle shaped to 30 cm | polystachia |
| Globose to sub globose | 68B | ||
| A68B | INFLORESCENCE | Globose. Spikes short 4 - 6 cm long and almost as wide. Ovate | rotundata |
| Sub globose to 40 cm high. Spikes 15 cm by 4cm wide. | ponderosa | ||
| A69 | FLORAL BRACT | Naked or the tip scarcely scaled, or, frosty waxed, but never densely scaled. | 72 |
| Densely scaled | 70 | ||
| Naked but for dense pale lepidote at tip and top edge, sepal 2cm long | tricolor | ||
| A70 | FLORAL BRACT | Longer than sepals | 71 |
| Shorter than sepals, leaf blade strongly bent back | exserta | ||
| A71 | SPIKE | Upright, sepals totally free. | parvispica |
| Spreading. Sepals joined for 6mm. | vicentina | ||
| A72 | FLORAL BRACT | Not waxy coated | 74 |
| Waxy coated | 73 | ||
| A73 | SPIKE | 30 - 70 cm long, 4 cm wide. Petals dark blue. | rauhii |
| 10 - 20 cm long, 3 cm wide. Petals dark violet to almost black. Floral bract with violet tip. | ferreyrae | ||
| A74 | INFLORESCENCE | To 15 - 25 compound spikes | xerographica |
| Up to 12 compound spikes | 75 | ||
| A75 | SEPAL | Not keeled | ecarinata |
| Keeled | 76 | ||
| A76 | PETAL | Up to 5 cm long | 78 |
| 6 - 7 cm long | 76A | ||
| A76A | INFLORESCENCE | Pendant, laxly bipinnate | pamelae |
| Erect | 77 | ||
| A77 | SPIKE | 4cm wide, petals violet/blue | fasciculata |
| 2.5cm wide, petals violet/blue | tricolor | ||
| 2-3cm wide, petels reddish/lilac | concolor | ||
| A78 | INFLORESCENCE | Numerous, more than 4 compound spikes | 80 |
| 2 -4 compound spikes | 79 | ||
| A79 | FLORAL BRACT | Inflated. Spike almost roundish, uniformly red | rhomboidea |
| Not inflated; spike almost flat. Floral bract and the base of the inflorescence red, the middle or above straw coloured to green. | tricolor | ||
| A80 | RHACHIS | Visible | durangensis |
| Not visible | 80A | ||
| A80A | LEAF | Blade 1.5 - 3.5 cm at base to 50 cm long, grey scaled. | 81 |
| Blade 5 cm wide at base to 70 cm long, green-grey. Spikes spreading, 10 - 12 flowered. Floral bract pink | langlasseana syn. intumescens |
||
| A81 | SEPAL | Shorter than or equalling the floral bract. Inflorescence to 40 cm long. | 81A |
| Longer than the floral bract. Inflorescence to 11 cm long. | polita | ||
| A81A | FLORAL BRACT | Straight or with slightly curved apex. Primary bract especially for lower spikes has long blade. | dugesii |
| Forming a hood over the flower. Primary bracts with short or no blade. | rodrigueziana | ||
| A82 | INFLORESCENCE | Compound | 121 |
| Simple | 83 | ||
| A83 | PLANT | Looks like Club Moss | pedicellata |
| Does not look like Club Moss | 84 | ||
| A84 | FLOWER | Distichous or the inflorescence has 1 or 2 flowers. | 92 |
| Spirally arranged | 85 | ||
| A85 | FLOWER STALK | Missing. Inflorescence short, cone shaped, sunk in the rosette. | kammii |
| Visible | 86 | ||
| A86 | PETAL | Rippled, twisted, sometimes blue with whitish mid stripe. | bergeri |
| Smooth, not rippled or twisted | 87 | ||
| A87 | PLANT | Stemless or very short | 87A |
| With stem | 88 | ||
| A87A | FLORAL BRACT | 6mm wide, posterior sepals joined for 6 mm. Leaf straight, almost upright. | walter-richteri |
| much exceeding 6mm wide. | 87B | ||
| A87B | LEAF | Many in a rosette, somtimes secund. Blades narrowly triangular. | stricta |
| Succulent, strongly secund | carminea | ||
| A88 | PLANT | With upright inflorescence | 89 |
| With bent hanging inflorescence | 91 | ||
| A89 | LEAF | 5 - 15 cm long, 0.2 - 1.3 cm wide | 90 |
| 20 cm long, 2 - 2.5 cm wide | leonamiana | ||
| A90 | LEAF | Arranged in a whorl, but robust, bent one way | neglecta |
| Not bent one way | aeranthos | ||
| A91 | LEAF | Blades slender, 20 times as long as wide | 91A |
| Blades wider, 10 times as long as wide. Flower deep dark blue or grey blue. | aeranthos | ||
| A91A | SEPAL | Posterior ones joined. Flower light blue to lilac. | tenuifolia |
| Free. Flower blue | montana | ||
| A92 | FLOWER | Arranged densely distichous on rhachis, which is not visible. Inflorescence sword shaped. | 102 |
| Arranged laxly on rhachis which is visible or the inflorescence is 1 or 2 flowered. | 93 | ||
| A93 | PLANT | With long leaves (over 5 cm long). When shorter, leaves are distichous | 96 |
| With short leaves (up to 5 cm long ), stiff, hard almost succulent, triangular arranged in a whorl, leaves upright. | 94 | ||
| A94 | INFLORESCENCE | 3 - 8 flowering | peiranoi |
| 1 - 2 flowering | 95 | ||
| A95 | PETAL BLADE | Large 1.2 cm wide | kirschnekii |
| Scarcely spreading, small, 2 - 3mm wide | aizoides | ||
| A96 | LEAF | Thin triangular; flower densely or almost densely arranged on rhachis. | 96A |
| Thin awllike to filiform or grasslike. | 97 | ||
| A96A | LEAF | To 50 cm long | 96B |
| To 17 cm long | 96C | ||
| A96B | PETAL | 8 cm long, blade large, spreading, bright blue. | pretiosa |
| 4.2 cm long, thin, tongue shaped | mazatlanensis | ||
| A96C | LEAF | To 17 cm long. | 96D |
| To 8.5 cm long. Spike narrow, few flowered (to 5). Rhachis not visible. | zecheri v. cafayatensis | ||
| A96D | OFFSET | on long stolons, petals with appendage | Vriesea espinosae |
| virtually no stolon, spike wide (to 14 mm), 5 - 10 flowered, rhachis just visible | zecheri | ||
| A97 | FLOWER | Spread out on rhachis. Inflorescence 4 - 8, flowering light blue. Petal blade to 7mm wide. Leaves spirally arranged. | caerulea |