Thirty years ago, in May of 1984, I collected an unidentified Tillandsia species from the state of Jalisco, Mexico, with a large pendent pink inflorescence. I knew that it was different, as the nearly six foot pendent inflorescence was not like anything that I had encountered before. The other large pendent Tillandsia species from Mexico that I was familiar with were T. eizii L.B.Sm. (Smith 1974) and T. prodigiosa (Lem.) Baker (Baker 1888). These are quite different from this species in Jalisco. It was early in my years of exploring Mexico, and I was not experienced enough to make the diagnosis. In 1985, my friend, Bill Baker, introduced me to Professor Werner Rauh who was the keynote speaker at the biennial convention of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America, held in San Diego. I invited Professor Rauh to visit my nursery and this was the beginning of a friendship that lasted until the end of his life in 2000.

When Professor Rauh arrived at my nursery this unidentified species was in full bloom (Fig. 1a). He was quite surprised to see the large hanging inflorescence with long exserted stamens, which did not resemble any Mexican Tillandsia species. He stated that it reminded him of T. clavigera Mez (1896), a South American species. He later determined the species was new to science and named this new species T. pamelae Rauh (Rauh 1986).

Over the years, I have returned to the type locality and surrounding areas in search of other populations of T. pamelae. In 1993, in nearby Quila El Grande, I found another lithophytic population of T. pamelae. (Fig. 1 b) It was growing side by side with another distinct species, which was not in bloom, and I could not identify (Fig. 2, 3 and 4).

This distinct species (Fig. 3) had significant differences from T. pamelae (Fig. 4). The leaves were similar in texture but more narrowly triangular and nearly filiform attenuate. The T. pamelae leaves are ligulate and acuminate. Now with 13 years of field experience, I was able to recognize that this was perhaps a new species. I collected a few of the plants with these characteristics and continued to grow them until the first one bloomed in early 2000. I first exhibited a blooming specimen at the San Francisco World Bromeliad Conference in June, 2000.

I often thought of an article by Miguel Chazaro-Basanez (1994), who stated that T. pamelae was occasionally epiphytic (growing on trees). I have never seen this species growing epiphytically, but wondered, if it was growing in trees, what was growing with it? Was it possible that this unidentified species was in fact a natural hybrid with T. pamelae as...