Bromeliad (Tillandsia sprengeliana)
| Kingdom | Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Liliopsida |
| Order | Bromeliales |
| Family | Bromeliaceae |
| Genus | Tillandsia (1) |
| Size | Height: 4 – 9 cm (2) Diameter: 3 – 7 cm (2) |
Listed on Appendix II of CITES (3).
Tillandsia sprengeliana is an epiphyte of Brazil’s coastal forest (4). The plants are often seen growing at an angle and they consist of a rosette of 20 – 50 leaves (2). The grey-green leaves are erect and tightly packed; they have white powdery scales that give the plant a furry appearance (2). The flower stalk (or inflorescence) reaches above the rosette of leaves (2) and bears 4 – 10 luminous pink flowers (4).
Endemic to the states of Rio de Janero and Espirito Santo, Brazil (4).
Tillandsia sprengeliana is found in the coastal forests and plains of Brazil’s Atlantic coast (4).
The stunning pink flowers open during the day and last for 2 – 3 days (4).
Brazil’s Atlantic Forest region has been devastated by habitat destruction as it is the most populated and industrious region of the country (5).
International trade in Tillandsia sprengeliana is restricted by its listing on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) (3).
This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact:
arkive@wildscreen.org.uk
- Endemic: a species or taxonomic group that is only found in one particular country or geographic area.
- Epiphyte: a plant that uses another plant, typically a tree, for its physical support, but which does not draw nourishment from it.
- Inflorescence: the reproductive shoot of the plant, which bears flowers (See http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ksheets/pdfs/flower.pdf for a fact sheet on flower structure).
- Walter, K.S. & Gillett, H.J. [eds] (1998) 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants. Compiled by the World Conservation Monitoring Center. IUCN The World Conservation Union, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.
- Smith, L.B. & Downs, R.J. (1977) Flora Neotropica, Monograph No. 14, part 2. Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae). Harner Press, New York.
- CITES (September, 2003) www.cites.org
- (1894) Tillandsia sprengeliana Klotzsch ex Mez in Martius, Flora brasiliensis, 3(3): 596.
- Mittermeier, R.A., Myers, N. and Goettsch Mittermeier, C. (1999) Hotspots: Earths biologically richest and most endangered terrestrial ecoregions. Cemex, S.A.