Tillandsia ionantha x Tillandsia concolor select red

Product Description

Tillandsia ionantha x Tillandsia concolor select red is a specific selected form of the hybrid between Tillandsia ionantha and Tillandsia concolor. To understand this hybrid, let’s break down its parentage and the “select red” designation:

Parentage:

Tillandsia ionantha: This is a very popular and widely cultivated small air plant native to Mexico and Central America. It’s known for its relatively easy care and dramatic color change when it blooms. Typically, the leaves will blush a vibrant red, scarlet, or orange, and it produces purple, tubular flowers. There are many different varieties and forms of Tillandsia ionantha, each with slightly different characteristics.
Tillandsia concolor: This species is native to Mexico and El Salvador. It’s a medium-sized air plant with stiff, pointed, and channeled grey-green leaves that often blush red in strong light or before blooming. It produces a branched inflorescence that is typically red to yellow-green, with pink or magenta tubular flowers.
Characteristics of the Hybrid (Tillandsia ionantha x Tillandsia concolor):

The offspring of these two species will inherit traits from both parents. Generally, you can expect a hybrid that exhibits some combination of the following:

Size and Shape: Likely to be intermediate in size between the smaller ionantha and the medium-sized concolor. The shape could be a more substantial rosette than typical ionantha, potentially with stiffer leaves. Some say it looking like a “giant ionantha with stiff leaves” or having a “great vase shape”.
Foliage: The leaves are thicker and more rigid than ionantha, retaining some of the grey-green coloration of concolor but with the potential to blush red more readily or intensely. Some clones are noted to hold a year-round red blush in strong light.
Inflorescence and Flowers: The inflorescence is described as short and compact, sometimes compound, with vibrant red and yellow bracts. The flowers are typically purple and tubular, similar to ionantha.
Coloration: A key feature of this hybrid is its potential for strong coloration. It’s known to develop good color in both its leaves and bracts when in bloom and under good lighting conditions.
“Select Red” Designation:

The addition of “select red” indicates that this particular form of the Tillandsia ionantha x Tillandsia concolor hybrid has been specifically chosen and propagated for its particularly intense or desirable red coloration. This selection process ensures that growers can obtain a hybrid with a heightened expression of red hues in its leaves and/or bracts, especially during its blooming phase or when exposed to strong light.

In summary, Tillandsia ionantha x Tillandsia concolor select red is a cultivated hybrid air plant that combines the characteristics of its ionantha and concolor parents, specifically selected for its exceptional red coloration. It’s likely to be a relatively sturdy and attractive air plant that will display vibrant red hues, especially when it approaches blooming.