Tillandsia lineatispica Mez

Tillandsia lineatispica Mez, in DC. Monog
Phan. 9:699. 1896.
Plant stemless, 12 dm. high; leaves rosulate, 6 dm. long, densely pale-lepidote throughout;
sheaths elongate, minutely appressed-lepidote; blades linear, filiform-acuminate, 25 mm. wide
at the base, stiff, the scales appressed above, subspreading below; scape erect, stout, glabrous;
scape-bracts erect, involute, imbricate, the lower ones foliaceous with long narrow strict blades
reaching the inflorescence, the upper ones bright-red, lepidote; inflorescence subdensely tripin-
nate, 3 dm. long; axes glabrous; primary bracts strict, ovate, slenderly laminate, much shorter
than the axillary branches, bright-red, lepidote; branches pinnate with 2 or 3 subequal digitate
spikes; spikes strict, short-stipitate, linear in outline, densely 1 6-24-flowered, about 15 cm. long,
1 cm. wide; floral bracts erect, imbricate, ovate-elliptic, apiculate, up to 27 mm. long at anthesis,
distinctly shorter than the sepals, coriaceous with a broad membranaceous margin, straight,
carinate, closely and prominently nerved, purple-margined, the lowest minutely lepidote, the
others glabrous; flowers erect; pedicels obconic, stout, 5 mm. long; sepals narrowly elliptic,
acute and apiculate, about 2 1 mm. long, 1 1 mm. wide, coriaceous, prominently nerved, glabrous,
posteriorly connate for 4 mm.; petals tubular-erect, 35 mm. long at least; stamens and pistil
exserted.
Type locality: "Antillarum insula St. Jan." Distribution: Known only from the type collection.