Tillandsia rettigiana Mez

Tillandsia rettigiana Mez, Repert. Sp. Nov. 14: 249. 1916
Plant stemless, 4 dm. high; leaves many in a dense rosette, finely appressed-lepidote throughout, dark-green, the outer ones with conspicuous elliptic flat sheaths brown-lepidotc on the inside and filiform-acuminate blades, 15 mm. wide at the base, carinate, subcomplicatc; scape erect, stout; scape-bracts densely imbricate, red, their blades foliaceous, reflexed, involute; inflorescence sublaxly compound with the lower branches digitately divided, 23 cm. long, 9 cm. in diameter, glabrous; axis stout, bright-red; primary bracts with at least their sheaths shorter than the axillary branches and enfolding their sterile bases, red, the middle and lower ones with narrow green blades; spikes suberect, all distinctly stipitatc with several red sterile bracts at the base, lanceolate in outline, 6 cm. long, 1 cm. wide, densely 6-flowerc<l; floral bracts 2 cm. long, exceeding the sepals, coriaceous, even, lustrous, green, sharply carinate, straiKht toward the apex; flowers sessile; sepals acute, 15 mm. long, subcoriaceous, green, posteriorly connate for 5 mm.; petals tubular-erect, 3 cm. long, paleviolet; stamens and pistil exserted.
TvpK UK-ALiTv; "Mexico, unde loco natali ignoto"; described from ctiltivaliun. Distribution; Known only from the tyiw collcclion.