Species

Aechmea abbreviata is a bromeliad species in the family Bromeliaceae, native to Brazil. It forms a rosette of strap-shaped, spiny-margined leaves and produces an inflorescence with colorful bracts and small flowers typical of the genus Aechmea.

A hemiepiphytic climber native to Mexico and Central America. Adult leaves are ovate to elliptic, featuring numerous fenestrations (holes) along the midrib, but unlike Monstera deliciosa, the leaf margins are typically entire and not pinnatifid. The specific epithet refers to the village of Acacoyagua in Chiapas, Mexico.

Monstera acuminata is a climbing aroid native to Central America and southern Mexico. It produces elongated, acuminate (tapering to a sharp point) leaves that develop fenestrations (natural holes or perforations) and sinuses (indentations along the margins) as the plant matures. Juvenile leaves are smaller and entire, while adult leaves can reach 30–60 cm in length. The species is a hemiepiphyte, beginning life on the forest floor and climbing host trees using aerial roots.

Distinctive caulescent species with stiff, polystichous leaves. The long inflorescence features flowers pressed flat against the rachis.

A species native to Mexico, known for its pink scape bracts and blue petals. It grows epiphytically in tropical forests.

Aechmea aguadocensis is a bromeliad species in the family Bromeliaceae, native to South America. It is an epiphytic or terrestrial plant forming a rosette of strap-shaped leaves with spiny margins. The inflorescence bears small flowers typical of the genus Aechmea.

Aechmea aiuruocensis is a bromeliad species in the family Bromeliaceae, native to Brazil. It forms a rosette of strap-shaped leaves with serrated margins, typical of the genus Aechmea. The species produces an inflorescence with brightly colored bracts and small flowers, characteristic of tank-forming bromeliads that collect water and organic matter in their central cup.

Aechmea alba is a bromeliad species in the family Bromeliaceae, native to Brazil. It forms a rosette of strap-shaped, green leaves with spiny margins. The inflorescence is erect, bearing white to pale-colored flowers typical of the genus. Like other members of Aechmea, it is an epiphytic or terrestrial plant adapted to humid tropical environments.

Aechmea alegrensis is a bromeliad species in the family Bromeliaceae, native to Brazil. It forms a rosette of strap-shaped leaves with serrated margins and produces an inflorescence with colorful bracts and small flowers typical of the genus Aechmea.

Monstera alfaroi is a climbing hemiepiphytic aroid native to Central America. It produces fenestrated leaves with elliptic to ovate blades that develop characteristic holes and perforations as the plant matures. The species is characterized by its relatively slender stems and elongated internodes.

Aechmea alopecurus is a bromeliad species in the family Bromeliaceae. It produces a dense, elongated spike inflorescence resembling a foxtail, from which its epithet is derived (alopecurus meaning fox-tail in Greek). The rosette is composed of strap-like, serrated leaves that form a central water reservoir. Flowers are typically pink to red with yellow or white petals.

Monstera amargalensis is a climbing aroid native to Central America, characterized by its fenestrated leaves with holes and splits typical of the Monstera genus. It produces aerial roots that anchor the plant to host trees as it climbs. The leaves are large and leathery, developing fenestrations as the plant matures.

Aechmea amicorum is a bromeliad species in the family Bromeliaceae. It is a rosette-forming epiphytic or terrestrial plant with strap-shaped, often spiny-margined leaves that form a central water-holding tank. The inflorescence bears colorful bracts and small flowers typical of the genus Aechmea.

Aechmea ampla is a bromeliad species in the family Bromeliaceae, native to South America. It produces broad, strap-shaped leaves with serrated margins that form a rosette capable of holding water in its central tank. The inflorescence is compound, bearing bracts and small flowers typical of the genus.

A terrestrial or epiphytic species characterized by heart-shaped leaves and a prominent spathe with a cylindrical spadix. The spathe is typically waxy in texture and comes in various colors including red, pink, white, and orange. Leaves are dark green, glossy, and leathery. Can reach 30-60 cm in height under cultivation.

Aechmea anomala is a bromeliad species in the family Bromeliaceae, native to Brazil. It forms a rosette of strap-shaped, spiny-margined leaves and produces an inflorescence with small flowers. The leaves are typically green and may develop reddish tones under high light conditions.

Monstera anomala is a climbing aroid native to Central and South America. It produces fenestrated leaves with irregular holes and perforations, which are characteristic of the genus. The species is an epiphytic or hemiepiphytic vine that attaches to host trees using aerial roots.

Aechmea apocalyptica is a bromeliad species in the family Bromeliaceae, native to Brazil. It forms a rosette of strap-shaped, green leaves with serrated margins and a prominent central tank that collects water. The inflorescence produces pink to red bracts with small violet or blue flowers. It is an epiphytic or terrestrial plant found in humid Atlantic Forest environments.

A Peruvian species with soft, green leaves that form a loose rosette. The floral bracts are often brightly colored.

Aechmea araneosa is a bromeliad species in the family Bromeliaceae, native to Brazil. It forms a rosette of strap-shaped, green leaves with serrated margins. The inflorescence bears small flowers typical of the genus, often with colorful bracts. It is an epiphytic or terrestrial species found in humid Atlantic Forest environments.

A rare species with a pseudobulbous base and relatively smooth leaves. It is related to T. pruinosa but has distinct glabrous or sparsely lepidote foliage.

An epiphytic species native to the regions around Lake Atitlan. It features soft, greenish leaves and a tall flower spike.

Aechmea atrovittata is a bromeliad species in the family Bromeliaceae, native to Brazil. It forms a rosette of strap-shaped, green leaves with dark cross-banding and serrated margins. The inflorescence bears small flowers on a branched spike, typically with colorful bracts. It is an epiphytic or terrestrial species found in tropical and subtropical forests.

Aechmea azurea is a bromeliad species in the family Bromeliaceae, native to Brazil. It is an epiphytic or terrestrial plant with a rosette of strap-shaped, spiny-margined leaves. The inflorescence bears blue flowers, which give the species its name derived from the Latin 'azureus' (sky-blue). The plant produces colorful bracts that persist after flowering.

A species described from French Guiana. It is a nominal hemiepiphyte with a distinct juvenile phase where the leaves are appressed to the host tree (shingle plant). Adult leaves are entire or perforated but rarely pinnatifid. It is named to honor the botanist who collected the type specimen.

Aechmea bauxilumii is a bromeliad species in the family Bromeliaceae. It produces a rosette of strap-shaped, spiny-margined leaves and bears an inflorescence with colorful bracts and small flowers typical of the genus Aechmea.

Aechmea blumenavii is a bromeliad species in the family Bromeliaceae, native to southern Brazil. It forms a rosette of strap-shaped, serrated leaves and produces an inflorescence with colorful bracts and small flowers. The leaves are typically green with spiny margins.

Endemic to Panama, specifically the Bocas del Toro region. This species typically has entire, oblong-lanceolate leaves and does not usually develop fenestrations. It is a smaller climber compared to the giant Monstera species and is found in wet forest habitats.

A high-elevation species found in the Andean foothills of Bolivia and Peru. It is a vigorous climber with large, leathery leaves that are typically entire or sparsely fenestrated. It is often found growing in cloud forests, making it more tolerant of cooler temperatures than lowland Amazonian species.

A species native to the states of Durango and Sinaloa in the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico, growing epiphytically in pine-oak forests. Described in 2007. Related species include Tillandsia carloshankii, Tillandsia prodigiosa, and Tillandsia macrochlamys.

Endemic to Puerto Rico. It grows in moist limestone forests and has soft, green leaves, indicating a preference for humid conditions.

Native to Veracruz, Mexico. It forms a tank-type rosette with green leaves that can turn reddish in strong light.

Native to Ecuador, this species is found in moist forests. It has soft leaves that are often spotted or banded with purple.

A hemiepiphytic climber native to Costa Rica and Panama. The leaf blades are pinnatifid (deeply lobed) and typically lack fenestrations (holes), characterized by a subcoriaceous texture and deeply sunken primary lateral veins, giving the leaf a somewhat quilted or bullate appearance.

A small to medium-sized pseudobulbous green-leaved (mesic) species described by Mez in 1935. The leaves are few, soft, long, and sinuous, emerging from a conspicuously swollen pseudobulbous base. The leaf blades are thin, hard, and involute in the upper portion, characteristically mottled with dark brown or reddish-brown irregular markings on a green background. The inflorescence is a slender spike borne on a thin, erect scape, with bright red bracts and tubular blue-violet to purple flowers. The species is myrmecophytic; in its natural habitat, symbiotic ants nest within the broadened leaf bases of the pseudobulb. It grows as an epiphyte, often forming large colonies in humid montane forests from central Mexico to Panama. A variety with pinkish flowers, var. roseiflora, has been described.

Native to Jamaica, restricted to limestone formations. It resembles T. utriculata but is smaller and grows lithophytically.

Native to Mexico and Guatemala. A robust species with soft, gray-green leaves forming a dense rosette, often turning reddish before blooming.

A striking species from Oaxaca, Mexico. It has a large rosette of flexible, sub-glabrous leaves and a densely branched, colorful inflorescence.

Native to Central America. A large epiphyte with soft, green leaves covered in fine scales, producing a tall, branched inflorescence.

An endemic species from Chiapas, Mexico, characterized by a unique rosette with drooping lower leaves and semi-erect upper leaves, producing a digitate inflorescence.

A caulescent bromeliad species distinguished by its stem-forming growth habit. Originally described as Cryptanthus caulescens, it was transferred to Rokautskyia in 2017 based on molecular and morphological analyses. The species is characterized by its distinctive stem development, which sets it apart from acaulescent relatives in the Cryptanthoid complex. Endemic to the Atlantic Forest region of eastern Brazil.

Tillandsia celata is a small epiphytic bromeliad native to Brazil. It belongs to the green-leaved (mesic) group and typically grows in humid forest environments. The leaves are soft and green, arranged in a rosette.

A species described from the Amazonas region of Peru. It has entire, oblong-elliptic leaves that are unequal at the base and do not develop fenestrations or pinnatifid margins. It is distinguished by its specific floral characteristics and relatively small size compared to other Monsteras.

Tillandsia chartacea is an epiphytic bromeliad native to Ecuador and Peru. Its name derives from the papery texture ('chartacea' means paper-like) of its floral bracts. It has green to grayish leaves and produces a distinctive flattened inflorescence.

An epiphytic species with narrow, reddish-green leaves forming a rosette approximately 30 cm in diameter. The inflorescence reaches about 30 cm and displays crimson bracts. Flowers are small and white, blooming from March to May. The species grows in wet tropical forests at approximately 400 m elevation.

An epiphytic perennial species in the family Bromeliaceae, growing to approximately 20 cm. It has a distinctive grey-toned appearance. Also known under the synonym Vriesea chontalensis. The species grows primarily in wet tropical environments as an epiphyte on trees.

A terrestrial species endemic to Mexico, characterized by thick, leathery, heart-shaped leaves with prominent white venation against a dark green background. Leaves can reach 15-25 cm in length with a velvety texture. The petioles are thick and angular. Produces inconspicuous greenish inflorescences followed by orange berries.

An epiphytic species with rigid, leathery leaves of pale greenish color. The inflorescence is more robust than related species, with flowers larger than the rachis and broadly suborbicular floral bracts. Distinguished from T. makoyana by its green rather than grey coloration, shorter but wider leaves, and white flowers with a slightly open throat rather than violet flowers with a closed throat. Formally described by R. Ehlers in 2006.

An epiphytic bromeliad that grows a rosette of broad, straplike leaves often intensely mottled with red. It produces a large, pendulous red inflorescence. The plant has a dense rosette structure with silvery-green leaves covered in tiny scales that assist moisture absorption. Widespread but not common in cloud forests along the Andes.

An acaulescent epiphytic species, 12 to 25 cm tall, with a spreading rosette of many pale green leaves, often streaked or spotted with purple-red. It produces multiple inflorescences from the leaf axils. Petals are ligulate, approximately 2 cm long, and rose, purple, or blue in color. The capsule is slenderly cylindric and acute, 4 cm long.

A medium-sized mesic species approximately 25 cm tall, found in montane forests. The gray-green leaves sometimes tint reddish in strong light. The inflorescence is branched with bright red-orange scape bracts and reddish floral bracts coated with a waxy powder, bearing purple flowers. Described by Andre in 1888.

A species named in honor of botanist Thomas Croat. It is a hemiepiphyte with entire, narrowly ovate to lanceolate leaves that do not develop fenestrations. The petioles are vaginate (sheathed) for most of their length. It is found in premontane rainforests.

A widespread species characterized by its deeply pinnatifid (dissected) leaves. Unlike Monstera subpinnata, the leaf segments are connected at the base rather than fully separated. The seeds are distinctively large and rounded. It grows as a hemiepiphyte on large trees.

A recently described species from the Donoso District in Panama. It is characterized by entire, oblong-elliptic leaf blades and distinctive floral morphology. It lacks the fenestrations found in many other Monstera species.

Notable for its distinct heteroblasty. The juvenile phase is a "shingle plant" with variegated silver and green leaves appressed flat against the host tree. The adult foliage dramatically transforms into large, fenestrated, and pinnatifid leaves that hang from the stem.

A distinct species from Mexico and Belize featuring coriaceous (leathery) leaves that are deeply pinnatifid. The pinnae (segments) are broad, and the leaves typically lack fenestrations. The inflorescence is notably large and stout.

A terrestrial bromeliad originally described as Cryptanthus fernseeoides. The specific epithet refers to its resemblance to species of the genus Fernseea. Transferred to Rokautskyia in 2017 based on phylogenetic revisions of the Cryptanthoid complex. Forms rosettes of leaves and occurs in the humid Atlantic Forest understory. Endemic to eastern Brazil.

A species found in Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. It is characterized by pinnatifid leaf blades and petioles that have sheaths degrading into persistent, reddish-brown fibers (filaments), for which the species is named.

A medium-sized stemless species forming a dense, rounded rosette of numerous fine, thread-like leaves approximately 7 cm in length. The species name means "thread-leaved." Leaf sheaths are grape-violet to chestnut-colored with small, dispersed trichomes. The inflorescence is bipinnate with many slender spikes bearing small flowers with violet petals. Grows as an epiphyte in seasonally dry tropical forests.

A terrestrial bromeliad characterized by its broad leaves, as indicated by the specific epithet latifolia (Latin for "broad-leaved"). Originally described as Cryptanthus latifolius and transferred to Rokautskyia in 2017. Forms rosettes in the shaded understory of the Atlantic Forest. The wider leaves distinguish this species from narrow-leaved congeners. Endemic to eastern Brazil.

An epiphytic climber with large, leathery leaves. Fenestrations occur near the midrib in mature specimens.

A terrestrial bromeliad originally described as Cryptanthus leuzingerae. The specific epithet honors a person named Leuzinger. Transferred to Rokautskyia in 2017 based on molecular phylogenetic studies of the Cryptanthoid complex. Forms compact rosettes in the understory of the Atlantic Forest. Endemic to eastern Brazil and found in humid forest environments.

A terrestrial bromeliad notable for its highly fragrant flowers, as indicated by the specific epithet odoratissima (Latin superlative meaning "most fragrant"). Originally described as Cryptanthus odoratissimus and transferred to Rokautskyia in 2017. Members of the former Cryptanthus subgenus Hoplocryptanthus, to which this species shows affinity, are characterized by perfumed flowers. Endemic to the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil.

A species with highly distinct juvenile and mature forms. Juvenile leaves are entire and silvery-green; mature leaves are deeply pinnately lobed.

A terrestrial bromeliad originally described as Cryptanthus pseudoglaziovii in 1991. The specific epithet indicates its resemblance to Cryptanthus glaziovii while being a distinct species. Transferred to Rokautskyia in 2017 based on phylogenetic analyses. Forms rosettes in the humid understory of the Atlantic Forest. Endemic to Espírito Santo state in southeastern Brazil.

A terrestrial bromeliad characterized by an elongated flowering scape, though less prominent than in Rokautskyia scaposa. Originally described as Cryptanthus pseudoscaposus by L.B. Smith and transferred to Rokautskyia in 2017. The specific epithet means "false scapose," indicating a resemblance to scapose species while having distinct characteristics. Endemic to the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil.

Large hemiepiphytic species with velvety, dark green leaves and many small fenestrations along the midrib.

A large, impressive species native to Mexico. It features wide, green leaves and produces a tall, branched inflorescence with distinctive salmon-colored bracts.

A Mexican species featuring a somewhat bulbous base and soft, spreading leaves. It produces a distinctive inflorescence with broad floral bracts.

A compact epiphytic or lithophytic species distinguished by its curled or spiral spadix, which differentiates it from A. andraeanum. Leaves are lance-shaped to elliptical, dark green, and leathery. The spathe is typically red or orange, oval-shaped. Plant size is generally smaller than A. andraeanum, reaching 20-40 cm.

Large climber with pinnately lobed leaves in maturity. Juvenile leaves are shingle-like (appressed to the host tree).

A saxicolous or epiphytic species native to Honduras and Guatemala. It forms a rosette of gray-green leaves and produces a long, pendulous inflorescence with striking red or pink bracts.

An epiphytic species found in Mexico and Honduras. It features narrow, green to gray-green leaves and a flattened inflorescence. It usually grows in pine-oak forests.

A large, robust species native to the Andes. It forms a large rosette and produces a tall inflorescence with lavender flowers. It is adapted to cool, wet tropical environments.

A mesic species native to Guatemala and Mexico. It features a bulbous base and soft green leaves. The inflorescence has red bracts and violet petals.

A "shingle" species where the heart-shaped leaves lie completely flat against the support. Known for its warty (tuberculate) stems.

An epiphytic species endemic to the Central Mexican Plateau. Forms rosettes of leaves and grows primarily on large trees in humid temperate forests, particularly on Abies religiosa, Quercus rugosa, and Quercus laurina. The species name "violacea" refers to the violet coloration of the flowers. Due to its high-elevation habitat, this species exhibits tolerance to sub-freezing conditions, distinguishing it from most other Tillandsia species.

An epiphytic species characterized by its long, narrow, strap-like pendant leaves that can reach 1-2 meters in length but only 3-6 cm in width. Leaves are dark green, somewhat leathery, and hang vertically. Produces clusters of red to purple berries that contrast with the green foliage.

A terrestrial bromeliad originally described as Cryptanthus whitmanii by Elton Leme in 1994. The specific epithet honors a person named Whitman. Transferred to Rokautskyia in 2017 based on molecular phylogenetic analyses of the Cryptanthoid complex. Forms rosettes in the understory of the Atlantic Forest. Endemic to Espírito Santo state in southeastern Brazil.