Tillandsia grandis

Tillandsia grandis

Tillandsia grandis ( Syn: Tillandsia viridiflora sensu LBSmith non Baker ) is a species in the subgenus Pseudalcantarea, the genus Tillandsia in the family Bromeliaceae ( Bromeliaceae ). It is the largest species of the genus Tillandsia. The botanical name grandis states that the species is large. It has areas from southern Mexico to Nicaragua at altitude 850-1500 meters.

Description

Tillandsia grandis grows mostly lithophytic steep cliffs, rarely epiphytic. It is the largest Tillandsia species. The rosette of this Trichterbromelie gets a diameter of about 1.5 meters. Your inflorescence can be up to 3.80 meters high. If they start to flower after many years of inflorescence stem grows vertically first, later he leans slightly to one side and then grows upright again; the result is a slightly curved shape of the shaft. This species is pollinated by bats ( Chiropterophilie ), so the flowers begin to open in the late afternoon, stay open overnight and close the next morning.

The simple parallel venation leaves are glaucous, and 30 to 100 cm long. The inflorescence is simple or composed of a few ears of corn. The many bracts resemble the leaves. At about 1 cm long stalks are large, hermaphroditic, threefold flowers. The three free sepals are 3 to 4.5 cm long and are spreaded, soft and flabby hanging early. The three free petals are yellow greenish or greenish white and 8 to 12 cm long. The six stamens protrude beyond the petals are wide and hang at the end of the night. Even the stylus protrudes from the flower. Are formed capsule fruits, in which the flight hairs of the seeds are not folded.