F - PETAL - ALMOST BLACK TO BLUE-BLACK
| F1 | PLANT | Large. Leaves forming large funnel rosette. Inflorescence compound. | 4 |
| Small, dainty growth. | 2 | ||
| F2 | LEAF | Distichous, short awllike. | 2A |
| Polystichous (see Fig. 4). Plant like club moss. | 3 | ||
| F2A | FLORAL BRACT | Almost round. Sepals stocky, strongly nerved. Petals lancelike | capillaris |
| Broad, triangular. Sepals slender, weakly nerved. Petals tongue shaped. | virescens | ||
| F3 | INFLORESCENCE | 1 flowered, sessile. Seed pod, frosted with a stem. | pedicellata |
| 1 or 2 flowered on 2 - 3 cm long stem. | aizoides | ||
| F4 | FLORAL BRACT | Naked, thin, lilac-pink. Leaves ligulate | wagneriana |
| Naked. leathery, rose. Leaves triangular | atroviolacea | ||
| Wax frosted. | 5 | ||
| F5 | FLORAL BRACT | Carmine-red, 2 - 2.5 cm long. | lymanii |
| Grey green, 5 cm long. | rauhii |
G - PETAL - BROWN, DARK BROWN TO NEARLY BROWNISH BLACK
| G1 | PLANT | With compound inflorescence. Flower yellow with brown blotches. | humilis |
| With simple inflorescence. | 2 | ||
| G2 | LEAF | Arranged spirally. | 4 |
| Distichous. | 3 | ||
| G3 | FLOWER | Brownish black, dull, very small. Petal blade 2 x 2mm. | caliginosa |
| Brownish yellow. Wide & reflexed petal blade | 3A | ||
| G3A | LEAF BLADE | In cross section round. Leaf tip flattened spatulate. | mollis |
| In cross section round to triangular | 3B | ||
| G3B | FLORAL BRACT | Almost round. Sepals stocky, strongly nerved. Petals lancelike | capillaris |
| Broad, triangular. Sepals slender weakly nerved. Petals tongue shaped. | virescens | ||
| G4 | LEAF | Over 10 cm long. | humilis |
| To 5 cm long. | 5 | ||
| G5 | LEAF | Of small rosette, almost erect, straight. | spiralipetala |
| Of small rosette, widening, bent | 6 | ||
| G6 | LEAF | To 2 cm long.Flower stem short or missing. Inflorescence mostly 1 flowering. Petal brown to yellow. | rectangula |
| To 4 cm long. Flower stem 4 cm long. Inflorescence mostly 1 to 2 flowering. Petals dirty brownish yellow. | funebris |
| H1 | PETAL | Erect, making a tube. Tip erect to more or less spreading. | 8 |
| With wide petal blade. | 2 | ||
| H2 | LEAF | Stiff distichous. Petal blade wide, dark brown with dirty yellow mid stripe. | caliginosa |
| Arranged in a whorl. | 3 | ||
| H3 | FLOWER | Spirally on rhachis. Petal light blue with white mid stripe; mildly wavy, twisted. | bergeri |
| Distichous. | 3A | ||
| H3A | PETAL | With blue petal blade and white eye | 5 |
| Other colour. | 4 | ||
| H4 | PETAL | With white petal blade and blue or violet edges. Floral bract nearly straight. | purpurea |
| Cream with blue or violet tips. Edges of floral bracts bent. | cacticola | ||
| H5 | PLANT | With stem,petal blade mainly pale blue with white eye. | streptocarpa |
| Stemless. Leaves forming a funnel rosette. | 6 | ||
| H6 | PLANT | With few hard, stiff, nearly plump leaves, making an almost upright rosette. | esseriana |
| With numerous, soft flexible leaves | 7 | ||
| H7 | INFLORESCENCE | One swordshaped spike. | 7A |
| More compound spike. | hamaleana | ||
| H7A | INFLORESCENCE | To 20 cm long. 20 flowered. Floral bracts green to rose, prominantly nerved. From Peru. | lindenii |
| To 7 cm long, 4 - 6 flowered. Floral bracts green, prominantly nerved. From Ecuador. | umbellata | ||
| H8 | INFLORESCENCE | Compound. | 15 |
| Simple. | 9 | ||
| H9 | LEAF | Feathery or frosty scaled. | 9A |
| Not feathery or frosty scaled. | 10 | ||
| H9A | PETAL | At the bottom white and the tip bluish-violet or red. | balsasensis |
| Dark violet with whitish tip | mitlaensis | ||
| H10 | INFLORESCENCE | Upright | 12 |
| Downward pointing. Leaf, tongue shaped, green with brown flecks. | brenneri | ||
| H11 | not used | ||
| H12 | FLOWER | Polystichous (see Fig. 4). Stem very short. | rectifolia (now treated as a hybrid) |
| Distichous. | 13 | ||
| H13 | FLOWER TUBE | Red, tip yellow. Plant flasklike at the base, green often with white crossbands, twisted. | subulifera |
| White to dark violet. | 14 | ||
| H14 | FLOWER TUBE | White with one deep dark violet circle at top. | punctulata |
| Dark violet, white tips. (Renate Ehlers- Inflorescence can be simple or up to 9 spikes.) |
elizabethiae | ||
| H15 | PLANT | Stemless. | 17 |
| With stem. | 15A | ||
| H15A | PETAL | Yellow with some red. | schiedeana |
| Blue and white. | 16 | ||
| H16 | LEAF BLADES | linear to terete | 16A |
| narrow triangular | 16B | ||
| H16A | INFLORESCENCE | On long stem. Flower tube pale blue with white tip. Leaf with dense white feathery scales | tectorum |
| On short stem, therefore almost sessile. Flower tube pale blue with white tip. Leaf with dense white scales but not feathery | heteromorpha | ||
| H16B | INFLORESCENCE | On long stem. Flower tube pale violet-blue with white tip. Leaf to 50 cm long, 3 cm wide at base, narrow triangular with grey scales | rhodocephala |
| On short stem. Flower tube pale lilac with white succulent tip. Leaf 10 - 20 cm long, 3.5 cm wide at base | huarazensis | ||
| H17 | PLANT | Bulb-like at base. | 17A |
| Rosette funnel shape. | 18 | ||
| H17A | PLANT | Slender spindle shape. Leaf green, often with white crossband, sometimes twisted. Flower red with yellow tip. | subulifera |
| At the base, bulb-like to 8 cm wide and 10 cm high. Inflorescence capitate, sessile. Blue violet petal with white bottom | ehlersiana | ||
| H18 | INFLORESCENCE | Hanging, stem long, 2 spikes. Leaf green with reddish brown blotches. | brenneri |
| Upright or bent upwards. | 19 | ||
| H19 | FLOWER | On bent stem arranged on one side facing upwards. | lucida |
| Not arranged on one side. | 20 | ||
| H20 | LEAF | Dense feathery scales. | tectorum |
| No feathery scales. | 21 | ||
| H21 | FLOWER STEM | Long, erect or bent upwards. | 22 |
| Very short or nearly missing. | nidus | ||
| H22 | INFLORESCENCE | Laxly compound | 23 |
| Densely compound, petals green with dark purple margins | Vriesea cylindrica | ||
| Densely compound, petals lavender with white tips | Vriesea fragrans | ||
| Densely compound, petals appear purple-rose really cream with dense violet-rose speckles | Vriesea sagasteguii | ||
| H23 | SPIKES | 5 - 8 cm long | 24 |
| 9 - 20 cm long | 25 | ||
| 30 cm long, 15 mm wide, petals green with violet speckles | Vriesea cereicola | ||
| H24 | SPIKE | 25 - 35 mm wide, petals white at base, dark violet above with fine white dots | punctulata |
| 10 - 15 mm wide | 24A | ||
| H24A | FLORAL BRACT | Pink, obscurely lepidote. Petals lilac with white tips | Vriesea didistichoides |
| green, shiny.petals white at base violet above | cajamarcensis | ||
| H25 | FLORAL BRACT | Arranged imbricately on rhachis. | 26 |
| Arranged laxly. | 29 | ||
| H26 | STAMENS | Longer than petals, petals purple, tipped white | elizabethiae |
| Shorter than petals | 27 | ||
| H27 | LEAF BLADES | Ligulate, green, Petals white at base, tipped violet-blue | rubro-violacea |
| Narrowly triangular, grey | 28 | ||
| H28 | PETAL | Violet-blue, thin white border. Stamens exceed flower | Vriesea olmosana var. olmosana |
| Greenish-yellow with violet edge, Stigma protruding from flower but not stamens | Vriesea olmosana var. pachamamae | ||
| H29 | FLORAL BRACT | Red. Flower tube bottom white and dark blue above | kirchhoffiana |
| Green. Flower tube bottom white and violet above. | makoyana | ||