Guzmania patula Mez & Wercklé

Guzmania patula Mez & Werckl^; Mez, Repert Sp. Nov. 14: 255. 1916.
Stemless, the flowering plant 5-6 dm. high, very slender; leaves many in a dense rosette, up to 25 cm. long; sheaths especially marked with longitudinal red stripes; blades 20-35 mm. wide, acute, spirally recurved at the apex, subglabrous, subcoriaceous ; scape erect, much exceeding the leaves, glabrous; scape-bracts lax, much shorter than the intemodes, erect, very broadly ovate, acute, glabrous, stramineous when dry; inflorescence depauperate-compound, composed of a 20-flowered terminal spike, 6 cm. long and 2 cm. in diameter and a remote much smaller lateral spike on a long stipe; primary bract like the scape-bracts; spikes dense, subcylindric; floral bracts suberect, barely imbricate, 15 mm. long, shorter than the sepals, ecarinate, coriaceous with a narrow membranous margin; flowers suberect, glabrous; pedicels very short; sepals slightly asymmetric, obtuse, 14 mm. long, connate for 1.5 mm., even and glabrous outside; petals white, 20 mm. long, the free lobes elliptic, obtuse, spreading at anthesis; stamens and pistil slightly shorter than the petals.
Type locality: Paso Rio Naranja, near Navarro, Costa Rica. Distribution: Costa Rica; also in Colombia.

Guzmania patula is a plant species in the genus Guzmania. This species is native to Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and the State of Amazonas in Brazil.