Narrowleaf Airplant

Tillandsia tenuifolia L. .Sp. PI. ed. 2. 410. 1762
Renealmia recurvata j3. L. Sp. PI. 287. 1753.
Tillandsia lelacea Sw. Fl. Ind. Occ. 593. 1797.
TiUandiia Bartramii KM. Bot. S. C. & Ga. 1: 379. 1817.
Tillandsia catspilosa IxConte, Ann. Lye. N. Y. 2: 131. 1826.
Plalysloihys seiacea Bct-r. Bromel. 80. 1857.
Vriesea tenuifolia Beer, Bromel. 96. txcl. dcscr. 1857.
IMapharanlhima versicolor Beer, Bromel. 155. 1857.
Htnealmia mcmostachya L.; ex Baker, Handh. Bromel. 175, as synonym. 1889.
TiUand-.ia remola Witlm. Bot. Jahrb. 14: Heibl. 32: 6. 1891.
Vrieiea selacea Hook.; Mez, in DC. MonoR. Phan. 9: 688. 1896.
Tillandsia myriophylla Small, Man. SE. Fl. 270. 1933.
Plant stemless; leaves many in a densely fa.sciculatc rosette, 2-5 dm. long, usually much exceeding the inflorescence, densely and finely appressed-lepidote throughout; sheaths triangular-ovate, conspicuous, about 2 cm. long and 8 mm. wide, ferruginous, often keeled; blades setiform, usually less than 1 mm. in diameter for most of their length; scape erect or ascending, very slender, sparsely lepidote; scape-bracts erect, closely involute, densely imbricate, lanceolate, acute, filiform-laminate, chartaceous, densely pale-appressed-lepidote; inflorescence bipinnate or frequently simple and distichous-flowered, slenderly ellipsoid, lax at least below, up to 12 cm. long but usually much less; axes slender, lepidote; primary bracts like the upper scape-bracts, suberect, the sheath shorter than the axillary spike but the blade usually much exceeding it; spikes subsessile, turned edgewise to the axis of the inflorescence as in Lolium, linear-lanceolate in outline, acute, 2-5 cm. long, only 5-7 ram. wide at anthesis, complanate; floral bracts erect, densely imbricate, broadly ovate, acute, S-14 mm. long or rarely up to 19 mm., exceeding the sepals, subcoriaceous, even or nerved, densely pale-appressed-lepidote at least when young, scarcely or not at all carinate; flowers subsessile; sepals elliptic-oblong, acute, 7-12 mm. long, glabrous, connate posteriorly; petals tubular-erect, linear, 2 cm. long, violet; stamens and pistil exserted; capsule slenderly cylindric, 25 mm. long.
Type loc.m.itv: Jamaica.
Distribution: South Carolina to Florida and Greater Antilles; Mexico to Salvador; .also in Venezuela and northern Brazil .

Tillandsia tenuifolia, the narrowleaf airplant, is a species in the genus Tillandsia. This species is widespread across much of South America and the Caribbean islands.

Four varieties are recognized:

Tillandsia tenuifolia var. disticha (L.B.Sm.) L.B.Sm. - States of Rio de Janeiro + São Paulo Tillandsia tenuifolia var. saxicola (L.B.Sm.) L.B.Sm. - States of Rio de Janeiro + São Paulo Tillandsia tenuifolia var. tenuifolia - most of species range Tillandsia tenuifolia var. vaginata (Wawra) L.B.Sm. - Jamaica, Martinique, Brazil, Paraguay