Tillandsia cotagaitensis   L. Hromradnik              Pl. Syst. Evol. 147: 284 (1984).

 

Plant- epiphytic, flowering to 14 cm long, caulescent, branched, leaves densely distichous, diverging all the way to recurved, densely tomentose.

Leaf sheath- up to 10 mm long, 8 mm wide, becoming green up to transparent, nerved, edges not nerved, glabrous, polished, clasping the stem.

Leaf blade- up to 40 mm long, tubular, 2-3 mm diameter, subulate-acuminate, soft, dense tomentose.

Scape- 20-30 mm long, 1 mm diameter, dense lepidote.

Inflorescence- simple, distichous, dense 2-3 flowered, 20 mm long.

Floral bract- (8.2-) 11.8 (-13.4) mm long, 5.4 to 6.8 mm wide, 11 to 12 nerved, lepidote, ovate, very short blade, as long as or shorter than the sepals.

Rachis- lepidote.

Flower- subsessile, scented.

Sepals- 8.2 to 10.2 mm long, 2.4 to 2.6 mm wide, sub-glabrous, green, 5 to 7 nerved, posterior pair slightly keeled and joined for 53 - 64%, joined 8 - 9 % at the front, lance-like.

Petals- 14.2 to 15.4 mm long, 2.7 to 3.1 mm wide, tongue like blade, moderately broadened, recurved or rolled inwards, tip rounded, brown violet up to black violet, rarely ochre colored.

Stamens and Style- included, filaments pale, one nerved, 4.4 to 5.1 mm long, anthers inserted at base, anthers golden, 1.9 to 2.3 mm long, 0.3 mm diameter.

Gynoecium- green, 3.9 to 4.6 mm long, 1.2 to 1.6 mm diameter.

Ovary- oval-cylindrical, 2to 2.3 mm long.  Style and ovary same length, thin, capsule to 2 mm diameter to 20 mm long, cylindrical, obtuse.

 

Habitat- epiphytic on Oreocereus neocelsianus in association with T. caliginosa.  Hills near Cotagaita  POTOSI  Bolivia  3000 m  HR 5093 (WU)

 

 Differs from T. caliginosa by

(1)  stem clearly seen;

(2)  more slender in habit; and

(3)  posterior sepals are joined for a long way.