Guzmania plicatifolia L. B. Sm.

Guzmania plicatifolia L. B. Smith, Proc Am. Acad. 68: 146. 1933.
Epiphytic or terrestrial, short-caulescent, 9-11.5 dm. high; leaves about 15, erect, 8-13 dm. long, very minutely and obscurely lepidote; sheaths purple, often striped with green above and minutely punctulate-lepidote; blades linear, 2 cm. wide, narrowly acuminate, strongly plicate; scape 8 mm. in diameter, erect, soon glabrous; scape-bracts foliaceous, erect, densely imbricate; inflorescence laxly bipinnate, composed of 15 spikes, subcylindric, 3 dm. long; primary bracts lance-ovate, ample, membranaceous, soon disintegrating, the lower ones much longer than the spikes; spikes stoutly short-stipitate, broadly ovoid, 4-5 cm. long, densely 12-15-flowered; floral bracts imbricate, broadly elliptic or ovate, acute, 25 mm. long, exceeding the sepals, membranaceous, prominently nerved, subglabrous; flowers subsessile; petals yellow; sepals free, narrowly lanceolate, acute, 16 mm. long, glabrous, sulcate; capsule slenderly ellipsoid, about equaling the sepals.
TiTE locality: La Palma, Province of San Jose, Costa Rica, altitude 1459 meters. Distribution: Provinces of San Jos^ and Cartago, Costa Rica.