Total: 2
A rare lithophytic species endemic to Rio de Janeiro state in Brazil. The plant has a distinctive form with short, soft, densely lepidote leaves that are dramatically rounded at the tip. It is related to T. gardneri, T. geminiflora, T. kautskyi, and T. sprengeliana. The inflorescence is short and compound with pinkish-red bracts and magenta flowers. In its natural habitat, it grows on nearly vertical rock walls at high elevations, which protects it from collectors.
A terrestrial bromeliad named in honor of Roberto Anselmo Kautsky (1924-2010), a Brazilian naturalist renowned for documenting bromeliads and orchids in eastern Brazil. Originally described as Cryptanthus roberto-kautskyi and transferred to Rokautskyia in 2017. Characterized by contrasting leaf surfaces: green adaxial (upper) side and densely white-scaled abaxial (lower) side with brown transverse bands creating a zebra-like pattern. Grows in leaf litter in densely shaded Ombrophilous Dense Forest. Endemic to Espírito Santo state and assessed as Critically Endangered.