| 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 |
| Close to each other on rhachis | 98 | ||
| A98 | INFLORESCENCE | 4 or more flowering | 98A |
| 1 - 3 flowering | 99 | ||
| A98A | FLORAL BRACT | dense lepidote. Leaves to 4 mm wide | marconae |
| Soon naked. Leaves 4 - 6 mm wide | paleacea | ||
| A99 | PETAL | Small, dull, thin triangular. Blue, petal blade 2mm long, 1 mm wide | 99A |
| large, striking, with wide petal blade. | 100 | ||
| A99A | FLOWER STEM | Short at flowering, without bracts. Can extend to 8cm long after flowering. Leaves 1-4 cm long | 99B |
| To 13cm long, with 1 or 2 bracts.Leaves 3-17cm long | recurvata | ||
| A99B | FLORAL BRACT | Almost round. Sepals stocky with strongly developed nerves. Petals lancelike. | capillaris |
| Broad, triangular. Sepals slender with weakly developed nerves. Petals tongue shaped. | virescens | ||
| A100 | PLANT | Stemless, leaves erect, thin, grasslike, to 38 cm long. Petal blade 10 - 14 mm wide | linearis |
| More or less with a stem; leaves awllike, filiform, spreading out | 101 | ||
| A101 | PETAL BLADE | 11 mm long, 7 - 9 mm wide. Leaves laxly arranged distichously, to 12 cm long, stem longer. | mallemontii |
| 6 mm long, 5 mm wide. Leaves arranged densely distichous to 10 cm long. Stem short. | bandensis | ||
| A102 | INFLORESCENCE | Seems to come from the middle of the leaf rosette | 104 |
| Seems to come from the leaf axils at the side of the leaf rosette. | 103 | ||
| A103 | INFLORESCENCE | Upright, a shining red short swordshaped. Leaves not exceeding the flower stem. | multicaulis |
| Ascending to hanging, the thin red or green sword is longer. Flower stem thin. | complanata | ||
| A104 | PLANT | With dense grey scales on leaves | 108 |
| Green, not grey scaled, but often reddish brown stripes or blotched leaves. | 105 | ||
| A105 | PLANT | With hanging inflorescence, leaves tongue shaped, green with red brown flecks. | brenneri |
| With upright inflorescence | 106 | ||
| A106 | PETAL | Thin lance-like to elliptic, towards the tip, blue. Sword green or dark red. | anceps |
| With 2.5 cm wide striking petal blade. | 107 | ||
| A107 | FLOWER STEM | Very short,bracts rose/red, not nerved. Flower with dark blue throat. From Ecuador (According to Gilmartin, 'Bromeliaceae of Ecuador', flower stem 7 to 23 cm and flowers sometimes with white throat) |
cyanea |
| Long. Flower dark blue, throat white. | 107A | ||
| A107A | INFLORESCENCE | To 20 cm long. 20 flowered. Floral bracts green to rose, prominently nerved. From Peru | lindenii |
| To 7 cm long. 4 - 6 flowered. Floral bracts green prominently nerved. From Ecuador | umbellata | ||
| A108 | FLORAL BRACT | Light red, dark red or purple | 117 |
| green, reddish brown or brownish green. | 109 | ||
| A109 | LEAF | Thin grasslike; Inflorescence not exceeding the leaves, petal platte (blade) orbicular, opening flat | linearis |
| petal platte (blade) apiculate, slightly spreading | chaetophylla | ||
| Not grasslike | 110 | ||
| A110 | FLOWER STEM | Longer than the leaves | 114 |
| Shorter than the leaves | 111 | ||
| A111 | INFLORESCENCE | 15 cm long, 2 cm wide. Floral bract green. Flower large light violet. Petal blade 2 cm wide | esseriana |
| To 9 cm long. | 112 | ||
| A112 | FLOWER STEM | Bent, Inflorescence bent, 6 cm long, 1.5 cm wide | cochabambae |
| Upright or missing;Inflorescence uright | 113 | ||
| A113 | PETAL BLADE | Wide, rolled back 6 mm wide. Flower stem missing | friesii |
| Weakly spreading. 2mm wide | lorentziana blue form | ||
| A114 | FLORAL BRACT | Shorter than the sepals | streptocarpa |
| Longer than sepals | 115 | ||
| A115 | PLANT | Stemless; Inflorescence weakly inflated | walteri |
| With stem | 115A | ||
| A115A | PLANT | Short stem. Floral bract reddish brown. | lorentziana |
| Long stem | 116 | ||
| A116 | PLANT | Long stem. Leaves dense grey scaled, spreading. Floral bract green | paleacea |
| Long stem. Leaves grey scaled, erect. | arhiza | ||
| A117 | PLANT | Stemless | 119 |
| With stem | 117A | ||
| A117A | LEAF | With grey scales, almost fur like | 117B |
| With grey scales, not fur like | 118 | ||
| A117B | LEAF BLADE | With dense interwoven grey hair covering to 2 cm wide. Petals violet. Floral bracts straw coloured with red or violet suffusions | xiphioides v. tafiensis |
| With fur like grey scales, to 4mm wide. Petals blue violet with white throat (similar to streptocarpa) | graomogolensis | ||
| With hairy scales, to 8mm wide, Upper bracts dark purple, lepidote. Floral bracts dark purple, naked. | cardenasii | ||
| A118 | LEAF | Short triangular to lance-like. Inflorescence 2 cm wide | cauligera |
| Very thin, long, lancelike-awllike towards the tip. Inflorescence to 1.4 cm wide | dura | ||
| A119 | FLORAL BRACT | Not keeled. Inflorescence 11 cm long. Flower dark violet | walteri |
| Keeled | 120 | ||
| A120 | LEAF SHEATH | Dark brown scales | floribunda |
| Same colour as blade | krahnii | ||
| A121 | PLANT | Stemless | 127 |
| Long or short stem | 122 | ||
| A122 | FLORAL BRACT | Yellowish green; Edge and tip carmine red. Short stem. | brevicapsula |
| Green, red or reddish brown | 122A | ||
| A122A | FLORAL BRACT | Red or rose | 122B |
| Green or reddish brown | 123 | ||
| A122B | PLANT | Strongly secund. | 122C |
| Not secund | 122D | ||
| A122C | LEAF | 4 to 5 cm long. Flower stem red. Sepals red. Petal red/violet. | sucrei |
| 9 - 10 cm long. Flower stem green. Sepals white to pale pink. Petals violet/pink (according to Weber) | gardneri v. rupicola | ||
| A122D | LEAF | Grey with scurfy scales | reducta |
| Grey green with appressed scales. | 122E | ||
| A122E | PLANT | With long stem, flowering to 1m. high. Petal white with pinkish violet blade. | chartacea |
| With short stem, flowering to 50cm high. Petal red/violet. Inflorescence almost capitate. | cerrateana | ||
| A123 | SEPAL | To 1.4 cm long, unequally joined for 1 - 2mm. Leaf tip tubular spiral or recurving. Plant with long stem. | 123A |
| 7 - 9mm long, short connate, petals appendaged. Inflorescence sub-globose | myriantha | ||
| All free | 124 | ||
| A123A | INFLORESCENCE | To 60 cm long. Leaf tip spiral. Flower stem stout. | duratii |
| To 7 cm long. Leaf tip recurved. Flower stem slender | reichenbachii | ||
| A124 | FLORAL BRACT | Shorter than sepals; leaf wide. Leaf tips almost bent into a hook. | streptocarpa |
| Longer than the sepals | 125 | ||
| A125 | INFLORESCENCE | Densely compound, cylindric - oval 4 - 4.5 cm long with longer stem. | pampasensis |
| Laxly compound, not dense. cylindric - oval. | 126 | ||
| A126 | PETAL BLADE | 2 cm wide and 2.2 cm long, light violet. | esseriana |
| to 5 mm. wide | lorentziana | ||
| A127 | PLANT | With green leaves | 142 |
| With dense grey scaled leaves | 128 | ||
| A128 | INFLORESCENCE | Capitate or dense upright, compound spike. | 129 |
| Not capitate, laxly arranged, compound spike | 133 | ||
| A129 | INFLORESCENCE | Nestling in the rosette | nidus (now considered a hybrid) |
| On a longer stem | 130 | ||
| A130 | PRIMARY BRACT | At least the lower, longer than the spike. | 131 |
| Always shorter than the spike | 132 | ||
| A131 | INFLORESCENCE | Globose capitate | sphaerocephala |
| Cylindric or bipinnate | 131A | ||
| A131A | SPIKE | 2 - 3 flowered. Inflorescence cylindric -oval | pampasensis |
| 10-12 flowered. Inflorescence bipinnate | interrupta | ||
| A132 | FLORAL BRACT | Pink or rose | 132A |
| Green to lilac, shiny | floribunda | ||
| A132A | FLOWER STEM | 13 cm long. Floral bract pink (? hybrid chapeuensis x stricta) |
horstii |
| 4 cm long. Floral bract rose (Renate Ehlers - petals pink and only difference with T. sprengeliana is texture of leaves) |
kautskyi | ||
| A133 | PLANT | With thickened base, bulblike, leaf thin grasslike, filiform | 133A |
| Without thickened bulblike base | 134 | ||
| A133A | PRIMARY BRACT | Of the lower spikes hides spike | globosa |
| Of the lower spikes much less than spike | filifolia | ||
| A134 | LEAF | Not forming a funnel rosette, thin linear, wide to reflexed | streptocarpa |
| Forming a funnel rosette | 135 | ||
| A135 | FLOWER | Dense to almost dense, arranged distichously on rhachis | 137 |
| Laxly arranged on rhachis flowering on one side. | 136 | ||
| A136 | SPIKE | To 50 cm long, floral bract plump, green | marnier-lapostollei |
| 5 - 10 cm long, floral bract pale carmine red. | laminata (was roetingii) |
||
| A137 | SEPAL | Not keeled, Inflorescence tripinnate, erect but spikes pendent. Petals blue-violet | ecarinata |
| Not keeled, Inflorescence bipinnate erect to slightly bent. Spikes slightly spreading from axis, petals blue-rose and appendaged | Vriesea heterandra | ||
| At least on the side keeled | 138 | ||
| A138 | LEAF | filiform awllike, stiff, 4mm wide at middle. Inflorescence with short stem; spike arranged almost like fingers | floribunda |
| Thin triangular | 139 | ||
| A139 | INFLORESCENCE | Two spikes | krahnii |
| More spikes | 140 | ||
| A140 | FLOWER STALK | Bent to hanging to 3 cm long. Inflorescence compound | comarapaensis |
| Erect | 141 | ||
| A141 | FLOWER STALK | To 25 cm long. Inflorescence 30 cm long. | gymnobotrya |
| To 1 metre long. Inflorescence to 2 metres long | hirtzii | ||
| A142 | INFLORESCENCE | Slender, cylindric. Primary bract light red. Spike masked for the most part by the primary bract | ionochroma |
| Not cylindric | 142A | ||
| A142A | PRIMARY BRACT | Exceeds lower spikes | excelsa |
| Shorter than lower spikes | 143 | ||
| A143 | PLANT | Thickened bulblike at base. Leaves thin, grasslike to filiform | filifolia |
| Not thickened bulblike at base | 144 | ||
| A144 | FLOWER | Blooming on one side | marnier-lapostollei |
| Arranged distichously | 145 | ||
| A145 | SPIKE | Laxly 2 flowered | biflora |
| Dense many flowered | 146 | ||
| A146 | INFLORESCENCE | To 2 compound spikes | brenneri |
| 3 or more compound spikes | 147 | ||
| A147 | LEAF / INFLORESCENCE | Without grey waxy coating | 151 |
| With grey waxy coating | 148 | ||
| A148 | SEPAL | Fused at the back to 7mm high. Floral bracts green and the tip carmine red to light violet, wax frosted. | pomacochae |
| Free at the back | 149 | ||
| A149 | INFLORESCENCE | Double compound; 60 cm long | glauca |
| Compound | 150 | ||
| A150 | FLORAL BRACT | Over part of the inflorescence dark blue-violet | reuteri |
| Green | fendleri | ||
| A151 | PRIMARY BRACT | Shorter than the spike also the bottom one of the inflorescence | 154 |
| Longer than the spike, at least the bottom spike of the inflorescence | 152 | ||
| A152 | INFLORESCENCE | Compound | leiboldiana |
| Double compound | 153 | ||
| A153 | LEAF | Tongue shaped, the back of the sepals joined for a short distance (Renate Ehlers - inflorescence can be bipinnate) |
guatemalensis |
| Thin triangular, sepals free | gymnobotrya | ||
| A154 | FLORAL BRACT | Not keeled | 159 |
| Keeled | 155 | ||
| A155 | FLORAL BRACT | Scaled, greenish brown. Petals with a 1.6 mm wide blade. Throat white. | hamaleana |
| Naked | 156 | ||
| A156 | FLORAL BRACT | Pink - lilac; Petal with 6 - 9 mm wide, deep dark blue blade | wagneriana |
| Other colours | 157 | ||
| A157 | INFLORESCENCE | With young plants attached | 161 |
| Without young plants attached | 157A | ||
| A157A | INFLORESCENCE | Hanging. Sepals joined for 1/2 length. | beutelspacheri |
| Erect | 158 | ||
| A158 | SEPAL | Equal height almost free | deppeana |
| Joined unequally (the back 5mm, front 3 mm) | pyramidata | ||
| A159 | SPIKE | 20 - 60 cm long, 1.5 cm thick | 159A |
| ca 2 - 15 cm long, 0.7 - 5 cm wide. | 160 | ||
| A159A | SPIKE | Rodlike, cylindric. | teres |
| Flattened, complanate 20 to 40 cm long. | elongata | ||
| A160 | INFLORESCENCE | Compound | 160A |
| Double compound. Flowers blue - violet. | tovarensis | ||
| A160A | FLOWER | Violet-pink. Spike 5 - 6 cm long, 7-8 mm wide | latifolia v. divaricata |
| Pale violet, spike 13 cm long, 25 mm wide | subconcolor | ||
| Dark violet, spike ca 15 cm long, 5 cm wide, rhachis geniculate' broadly winged. Sometimes the lower spike with one short lateral axis. | platyrhachis | ||
| A161 | FLOWER STEM | 3 cm thick | pyramidata v. vivapara |
| 6 mm thick | somnians | ||