Tillandsioideae is a subfamily of plants in the bromeliad family

Bromeliaceae The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain o ...

. This subfamily contains the greatest number of species (about 1,400). Most are

epiphytic 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 ...

lithophytic Lithophytes are plants that grow in or on rocks. They can be classified as either epilithic (or epipetric) or endolithic; epilithic lithophytes grow on the surfaces of rocks, while endolithic lithophytes grow in the crevices of rocks (and are als ...

, growing in trees or on rocks where they absorb water and nutrients from the air.

Spanish moss Spanish moss (''Tillandsia usneoides'') is an epiphytic flowering plant that often grows upon large trees in tropical and subtropical climates. It is native to much of Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Central America, South America, the Southern Uni ...

of the genus ''

Tillandsia ''Tillandsia'' is a genus of around 650 species of evergreen, perennial flowering plants in the family Bromeliaceae, native to the forests, mountains and deserts of northern Mexico and south-eastern United States, Mesoamerica and the Caribbean to ...

'' is a well-known species. Bromeliads in the genera ''

Guzmania ''Guzmania'' (tufted airplant) is a genus of over 120 species of flowering plants in the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. They are mainly stemless, evergreen, epiphytic perennials native to Florida, the West Indies, sout ...

'' and ''

Vriesea ''Vriesea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. The genus name is for Willem Hendrik de Vriese, Dutch botanist, physician (1806–1862). Its species are widespread over Mexico, Central ...

'' are the more commonly cultivated members of this subfamily.

Description

Nearly all bromeliads have specialized

cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...

groups called

trichome Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a pla ...

s which form scales on the

foliage A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

. The trichomes occurring on Tillandsioideae may cover the plants so completely that they appear grey or white, like Spanish moss. In addition to absorbing nutrients, the trichomes may serve to insulate the plant from freezing weather. Plants in this group have smooth or entire leaf margins, unusual color and markings, with many producing fragrant flowers. All their leaves are spineless (unarmed) and their fruit is a dry capsule containing winged seeds which are usually dispersed by breezes. Feathery seed plumes help them to adhere to a suitable epiphytic surface for germination. This subfamily is probably the most derived with special adaptations for survival in very dry conditions, with many described as

xerophyte A xerophyte (from Ancient Greek language, 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 pl ...

Taxonomy

Phylogeny and classification

Tillandsioideae is the largest of the subfamilies of the family Bromeliaceae, with upwards of 1,400 species.

Molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

studies from 1997 onwards repeatedly showed the

monophyly In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic grou ...

of the subfamily. However, the division of the subfamily into genera has varied considerably. A 1997 monograph used six genera: ''Catopsis'', ''Glomeropitcairnia'', ''Guzmania'', ''Mezobromelia'', ''Tillandsia'' and ''Vriesea''. Other genera were later segregated from ''Tillandsia'' and ''Vriesea'', of which three, ''Alcantarea'', ''Racinaea'', and ''Werauhia'', gained general acceptance. Molecular phylogenetic studies from 2001 onwards showed that ''Mezobromelia'', ''Tillandsia'' and ''Vriesea'' in particular were not monophyletic, and that the

circumscription Circumscription may refer to: *Circumscribed circle *Circumscription (logic) *Circumscription (taxonomy) * Circumscription theory, a theory about the origins of the political state in the history of human evolution proposed by the American anthrop ...

of other accepted genera was problematic in relation to these three genera. A major monograph published in 2016 used

plastid The plastid (Greek: πλαστός; plastós: formed, molded – plural plastids) is a membrane-bound organelle found in the Cell (biology), cells of plants, algae, and some other eukaryotic organisms. They are considered to be intracellular endosy ...

and

nuclear DNA Nuclear DNA (nDNA), or nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid, is the DNA contained within each cell nucleus of a eukaryotic organism. It encodes for the majority of the genome in eukaryotes, with mitochondrial DNA and plastid DNA coding for the rest. It ...

as well as morphological characters to produce a new phylogeny and classification for the subfamily. Their preferred cladogram is shown below. The 2016 study was unable to fully resolve the two genera ''Cipuropsis'' and ''Mezobromelia'' because the type species of ''Cipuropsis'', '' Cipuropsis subandina'', was not available for study. In 2017, Gouda added a new species to ''Cipuropsis'' ('' Cipuropsis asmussii'') and clarified the distinction between ''Cipuropsis'' and ''Mezobromelia'', leaving the former with three species. , the Encyclopaedia of Bromeliads accepted both genera, as well as the closely related ''Josemania'', whereas

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...

treated all three in the single broadly defined genus ''Cipuropsis'' – marked as ''Cipuropsis'' s.l. on the cladogram above. ''Waltillia'' was not included in the 2016 study as a separate genus, but is accepted by both the Encyclopaedia of Bromeliads and Plants of the World Online. The classification produced by the 2016 monograph uses four tribes, Catopsideae, Glomeropitcairnieae, Tillandsieae and Vrieseeae, the last of which is divided into two subtribes, Cipuropsidinae and Vrieseinae.

Genera

Genera placed in the subfamily by the Encyclopaedia of Bromeliads are listed below.

did not accept ''Josemania'' and ''Mezobromelia'', sinking them into ''Cipuropsis''. Tribe and subtribe placements are from the 2016 monograph and the Encyclopaedia of Bromeliads.

References

* * * Luther, H. E. (2008
An Alphabetical List of Bromeliad Binomials, Eleventh EditionThe Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

, USA. Published b
The Bromeliad Society International

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q137236 Commelinid subfamilies