Years ago when many botanists made collecting trips to Peru they'd encounter (around Xmas time) huge piles of tectorum strewn about villages to be used as snow to decorate their rooftops in their holiday decorations. Afterwards the plants would be unceremoniously dumped on the edge of town to die. The name tectorum actually means something like "roof plant".
Family: Bromeliad
Sub-Family: Tillandsioideae
Genus: Tillandsia
Sub-Genus:
Native distribution and habitat: The species is native to Brazil, - Prov. Rio Grande do Sul, River Toropi - growing in the ground between rocks, at 300m.
Growth habit: Up right form
Foliage: A distinguishing feature of the plant is the cross-section of leaves, which are tightly curved in a circuiti fashion concealing the upper leaf surface. This makes the plant appear dehydrated. The tapered leaves are covered with a layer of fine trichomes, the leaves are a silver green clolour. (150 mm long x 12 mm at the base)
Flowers: Red orange bracts on an extended inflorescence with protruding white petalled flowers.
Seed:
Pups: The plant pups easily
Cultivation:
Availability:
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