''Tillandsia fasciculata'', commonly known as the giant airplant, giant wild pine, or cardinal airplant, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

bromeliad The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a Family (biology), family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the Tropics, tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and on ...

that is

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

, northern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

(

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

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, northern

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

), and the southeastern

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

(

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

).Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref>Flora of North America, cardinal airplant, ''Tillandsia fasciculata'' Swartz, Prodr. 56. 1788.
/ref>Biota of North America Program, 2013 county range map
/ref> Within the United States, this airplant is at risk of

extirpation Local extinction, also extirpation, is the termination of a species (or other taxon) in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with extinction, global extinctions. Local extinctions ...

from the Mexican bromeliad weevil, '' Metamasius callizona''. A related plant, ''

Tillandsia utriculata ''Tillandsia utriculata'', commonly known as the spreading airplant, the giant airplant, or wild pine is a species of bromeliad that is native to Florida and Georgia in the United States, the Caribbean, southern and eastern Mexico (Tamaulipas, Ve ...

'', sometimes called the "wild pine", is endemic to the same areas.

Varieties and cultivars

Four varieties are recognized: #''Tillandsia fasciculata'' var. ''clavispica'' Mez – Florida, Cuba, southern Mexico, Cayman Islands #''Tillandsia fasciculata'' var. ''densispica'' Mez – Florida, southern and eastern Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Hispaniola #''Tillandsia fasciculata'' var. ''fasciculata'' – most of species range #''Tillandsia fasciculata'' var. ''laxispica'' Mez – central Mexico, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Cuba Several

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s have been named:BSI Cultivar Registry
Retrieved 11 October 2009 * ''Tillandsia'' 'Beauty' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Casallena' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Cathcart' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Chevalieri' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Chiquininga' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Ervin Wurthmann' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Florida' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Hines Poth' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Jalapa Fortin' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Latas au Pair' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Maria Teresa L.' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Miz Ellen' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Neerdie' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Pachuca' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Silver Bullets' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Summer Dawn' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Sybil Frasier' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Tropiflora' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Unamit' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Verraco' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Veteran'

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7802527 fasciculata Plants described in 1788 Flora of the Southeastern United States Flora of Central America Flora of Mexico Flora of Southern America Taxa named by Olof Swartz Flora without expected TNC conservation status