Tillandsia streptophylla Scheidw.

The ant species Pheidole tillandsiarum, known only from a single type collection, was found nesting in this epiphyte.

Tillandsia streptophylla vScheidw.; Morren, llortic Beige 3: 252. 1836.
VrUsea streptophylla E. Morren, Cat. Bromil. Litgc 17. 1873.
Tillandsia tortilis Brongn.; K. Morren, Cat. Bromil. Lifge 17. 1873. Not T. tortilis Klotzsch. 1857.
Stemless, up to 45 cm. high and probably more; leaves 60-80, forming a dense pseudobulb up to 8 cm. in diameter, up to 5 dm. long, covered with coarse spreading cinereous scales; sheaths broadly ovate or elliptic, up to 1 dm. long; blades narrowly triangular, acuminate, usually flat for most of their length, at least the outer ones recurving and serving to support the plant, 2 3 cm, wide; scape erect, 7-8 mm. in diameter; scape-bracts densely imbricate, foliaceous with elongate spirally recurved or contorted blades, the upper ones with red shcalhs; inflorescence pinnately compound with simple branches, laxly pyramidal, up to 3 dm. long; axes brightred, densely lepidote; primary bracts like the upper scape-bracts, their sheaths only about a third as long as the axillary spikes but sometimes their blades exceeding the lower ones; spikes suberect to spreading or even reflexed, short-stipitate with a few reduced sterile bracts, linear, acute, lax, 8-18-flowered, 8-23 cm. long, 15-18 ram. wide, complanate; rhachis straight or slightly flexuous, slender, densely lepidote; floral bracts suberect, about three times as long as the internodes, usually exposing the rhachis, elliptic-lanceolate, acute, 2-3 cm. long, exceeding the sepals, 8-13 mm. wide, subcoriaceous to chartaceous, densely lepidote with coarse subspreading scales, green; flowers erect, very short-stipitate; sepals elliptic-lanceolate, acute, 20-25 mm. long, subcoriaceous, even, glabrous; petals linear, tubular-erect, 35-40 mm. long, purple; stamens and pistil exserted; capsule subprismatic, acute, 35 mm. long.
TypB locality: Mexico.
Distribution: Jamaica; Vera Cruz. Yucatan, British Honduras, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Tillandsia circinnata Schlecht. Linnaea 18: 430. 1844
TiUandsia paucifolia Baker, Card. Chron. II. 10: 748. 1878. Tittandsia yucalana Baker, Jour. Bot. 25: 280. 1887. TiUandsia intermedia Mez, Bull. Herb. Boiss. II. 3: 141. 1903.
Stemless, 10-45 cm. high; leaves thick, covered throughout with coarse, closely appressed, cinereous scales; sheaths large, broadly ovate, forming a narrowly ovoid or ellipsoid pseudobulb 5-15 cm. long, merging gradually into the blades, the outer ones much reduced and bladeless; blades involute-subulate, pungent, up to 2 dm. long but often much shorter even on a large plant, 3-7 mm. in diameter, curved or contorted or coiled; scape erect; scape-bracts erect, imbricate, foliaceous with spreading or recurved-coiling blades; inflorescence simple or digitately or pinnatelj' compound from a few spikes; primary bracts like the scape-bracts, always somewhat shorter than the axillary spikes but their blades often exceeding them; spikes erect or suberect, linear-lanceolate, acute, often curved, up to 12 cm. long but normally much smaller, 2-10-flowered; floral bracts erect, imbricate, elliptic, acute, nearly or quite ecarinate, 2-3 cm. long, exceeding the sepals, two to three times as long as the internodes, subchartaceous, nerved, densely pale-appressed-lepidote ; flowers sessile; sepals lance-oblong, acute, about 2 cm. long, subchartaceous, glabrous, nered, the posterior ones more or less connate; petals linear, tubularerect, 4 cm. long, violet; stamens and pistil exserted; capsule slenderly cylindric, 4 cm. long.
Type locality: Near Hacienda de la Laguna, [Vera Cruz]. Distribution: Southern Florida, Bahamas, Cuba, and Hispaniola; Mexico.

Tillandsia streptophylla is a species of flowering plant in the genus Tillandsia. This species is native to Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies (Bahamas, Cuba, Cayman Islands, Turks & Caicos Islands).