''Tillandsia xerographica'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

bromeliad The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, ...

that is native to southern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

and

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

. The name is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

words ξηρός (''xeros''), meaning "dry", and γραφία (''graphia''), meaning "writing". It is included in ''Tillandsia'' subg. ''Tillandsia''.

Description

''Tillandsia xerographica'' is a slow-growing,

xerophytic A xerophyte (from Greek ξηρός ''xeros'' 'dry' + φυτόν ''phuton'' 'plant') is a species of plant that has adaptations to survive in an environment with little liquid water, such as a desert such as the Sahara or places in the Alps or th ...

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

. The silvery gray leaves are wide at the base and taper to a point making an attractive, sculptural rosette, or more in diameter and over high in flower. The inflorescence, on a thick, green stem, in height, densely branched. The leaf bracts are rosy red; the floral bracts are chartreuse; and the petals of the tubular flowers are red to purple and are very long lasting (months).

Habitat

''Tillandsia xerographica'' inhabits

dry forests The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive ...

and

thorn scrub Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric (ancient Greek xērós, “dry") shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area. Ecoregions in this h ...

at elevations of 140 to 600 m in southern

and

. Average temperatures in its habitat range from 22 °C – 28 °C, with relative humidity between 60% to 72% and annual precipitation between 550 and 800 mm. It grows epiphytically on the highest branches, where it receive intense lighting.

Cultivars

* ''Tillandsia'' 'Betty' (''T. xerographica'' × '' T. brachycaulos'') * ''Tillandsia'' 'Fireworks' (''T. xerographica'' × '' T. roland-gosselinii'') * ''Tillandsia'' 'Silver Queen' ('' T. jalisco-monticola'' × ''T. xerographica'')BSI Cultivar Registry
Retrieved 11 October 2009 * ''Tillandsia'' 'Silverado' ('' T. chiapensis'' × ''T. xerographica'')

References

xerographica Plants described in 1953 Flora of El Salvador Flora of Guatemala Flora of Honduras Flora of Southeastern Mexico Flora of Southwestern Mexico Epiphytes {{Tillandsia-stub