Tillandsia karwinskyana Schult. & Schult. fil.

Tillandsia karwinskyana Schultes, in R. & S. Syst Veg. 7: 1209. 1830.
Tillandsia Pringlei S. Wats. Proc. Am. Acad. 26: 155. 1891.
Plant stemless, 4-6 dm. high; leaves in a dense fasciculate rosette, 15-20 cm. long, densely and persistently lepidote throughout with coarse spreading scales; sheaths ovate or triangular, small, sometimes castaneous; blades linear-triangiilar, acuminate, I cm. wide at base, cinereouslepidote; scape erect, 2-3 mm. in diameter, equaling or exceeding the leaves, glabrous; scapebracts erect, involute, appressed-cinereous-lepidote, the lower foliaceous, densely imbricate, the upper elliptic, acute or apiculate, submcmbranaceous, bright-red, barely exceeding the internodes; inflorescence simple or few-branched; primary bracts like the upper scape-bracts, not attaining the lowest flower of the axillary spikes; spikes suberect, linear in outline, laxly 4-8-flowered, 10-15 cm. long, long-stipitate with a single sterile bract at base; rhachis flexuous, angled, snlcate, glabrous; floral bracts erect, ovate, acute, 15-20 mm. long, much shorter than the sepals, glabrous, prominently nerved, submembranaceous with a thinner often blackish margin; flowers strict, appressed to the rhachis; pedicels very short and stout; sepals elliptic, obtuse, 23 mm. long, glabrous, prominently nerved, submembranaceous, short-connate; petals tubular-erect, linear, 3 cm. long, greenish-yellow; stamens exserted, the filaments undulate when dry.
Type locality: Mexico.
Distribution: Nuevo Le6n and San Luis Potosf.