Taxon: Tillandsia bulbosa Hook.

Summary

Genus:

Tillandsia

Family:

Bromeliaceae

Subfamily:

Tillandsioideae

Tribe:

Tillandsieae

Nomen number:

36707

Place of publication:

Exot. fl. 3: t. 173. 1825

Verified:

09/08/1986 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

1 (0 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Araújo, C. C. & R. P. Romanini. 2018. Tillandsia bulbosa. Bromélia-cabecinha. In: Coradin, L. et al., Espécies nativas da flora brasileira de valor econômico atual ou potencial: plantas para o futuro: região Nordeste 1221-1226. Note: an ornamental with several cultivars
Bernal, R., S. R. Gradstein & M. Celis. 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago.
Encke, F. et al. 1984. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage
Espejo-Serna, A. et al. 2004. Checklist of Mexican Bromeliaceae with notes on species distribution and levels of endemism. Selbyana 25:54.
Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
Fournet, J. 1978. Flore illustrée des phanerogames de Guadeloupe et de Martinique
Funk, V. et al. 2007. Checklist of the plants of the Guiana Shield (Venezuela: Amazonas, Bolivar, Delta Amacuro; Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana). Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 55:1-584.
Hammel, B. E. et al., eds. 2003-. Manual de plantas de Costa Rica
Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Jørgensen, P. M. & S. León-Yánez, eds. 1999. Catalogue of the vascular plants of Ecuador. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 75
Jørgensen, P. M., ed. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de Bolivia (Catalogue of vascular plants of Bolivia) (on-line resource).
Lasser, T., ed. 1964-. Flora de Venezuela.
León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
Liogier, H. A. & L. F. Martorell. 1982. Flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands: a systematic synopsis.
Missouri Botanical Garden. Flora of Mesoamerica Checklist (on-line resource).
Pulle, A. A. et al., eds. 1932-. Flora of Suriname.
Rauh, W. 1981. Bromelien 84.
Smith, L. B. & R. J. Downs. 1977. Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 14(2):992-996.
Smith, L. B. 1967. Bromeliaceae of the Guayana Highland. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 14(3):51.
St. John, H. 1973. List and summary of the flowering plants in the Hawaiian islands
Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
Standley, P. C. 1937-1939. Flora of Costa Rica.
Steyermark, J. A. & O. Huber. 1978. Flora del Avila.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
Portuguese (Brazil)	bromélia-cabecinha	2	Araújo, C. C. & R. P. Romanini. 2018. Tillandsia bulbosa. Bromélia-cabecinha. In: Coradin, L. et al., Espécies nativas da flora brasileira de valor econômico atual ou potencial: plantas para o futuro: região Nordeste 1221-1226. Note: an ornamental with several cultivars
Portuguese (Brazil)	tilansia-bulbosa	2	Araújo, C. C. & R. P. Romanini. 2018. Tillandsia bulbosa. Bromélia-cabecinha. In: Coradin, L. et al., Espécies nativas da flora brasileira de valor econômico atual ou potencial: plantas para o futuro: região Nordeste 1221-1226. Note: an ornamental with several cultivars
Swedish	knöltillandsia	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Campeche	Espejo-Serna, A. et al. 2004. Checklist of Mexican Bromeliaceae with notes on species distribution and levels of endemism. Selbyana 25:54.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas	Espejo-Serna, A. et al. 2004. Checklist of Mexican Bromeliaceae with notes on species distribution and levels of endemism. Selbyana 25:54.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Quintana Roo	Espejo-Serna, A. et al. 2004. Checklist of Mexican Bromeliaceae with notes on species distribution and levels of endemism. Selbyana 25:54.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Tabasco	Espejo-Serna, A. et al. 2004. Checklist of Mexican Bromeliaceae with notes on species distribution and levels of endemism. Selbyana 25:54.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave	Espejo-Serna, A. et al. 2004. Checklist of Mexican Bromeliaceae with notes on species distribution and levels of endemism. Selbyana 25:54.
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Alagoas	Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Amapá	Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Amazonas	Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Bahia	Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Espírito Santo	Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Pará	Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Paraíba	Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Pernambuco	Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Rio Grande do Norte	Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Sergipe	Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Bahamas		Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cayman Islands		Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba		Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Guadeloupe		Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Hispaniola		Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Jamaica		Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Martinique		Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Puerto Rico	Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	West Indies		Smith, L. B. & R. J. Downs. 1977. Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 14(2):992-996.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica		Missouri Botanical Garden. Flora of Mesoamerica Checklist (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala		Missouri Botanical Garden. Flora of Mesoamerica Checklist (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras		Missouri Botanical Garden. Flora of Mesoamerica Checklist (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua		Missouri Botanical Garden. Flora of Mesoamerica Checklist (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama		Missouri Botanical Garden. Flora of Mesoamerica Checklist (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	French Guiana		Funk, V. et al. 2007. Checklist of the plants of the Guiana Shield (Venezuela: Amazonas, Bolivar, Delta Amacuro; Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana). Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 55:1-584.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Guyana		Funk, V. et al. 2007. Checklist of the plants of the Guiana Shield (Venezuela: Amazonas, Bolivar, Delta Amacuro; Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana). Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 55:1-584.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Suriname		Funk, V. et al. 2007. Checklist of the plants of the Guiana Shield (Venezuela: Amazonas, Bolivar, Delta Amacuro; Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana). Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 55:1-584.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela	Amazonas	Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela	Anzoátegui	Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela	Aragua	Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela	Barinas	Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela	Bolívar	Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela	Carabobo	Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela	Delta Amacuro	Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela	Distrito Capital	Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela	Falcón	Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela	Miranda	Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela	Monagas	Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela	Nueva Esparta	Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela	Portuguesa	Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela	Sucre	Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela	Táchira	Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela	Zulia	Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Colombia		Missouri Botanical Garden. Flora of Mesoamerica Checklist (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Jørgensen, P. M. & S. León-Yánez, eds. 1999. Catalogue of the vascular plants of Ecuador. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 75

Native
Northern America

SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave]

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Hispaniola, West Indies, Bahamas, Cuba, Cayman Islands, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Martinique, United States [Puerto Rico]
CENTRAL AMERICA: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama
NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela [Amazonas, Anzoátegui, Aragua, Barinas, Bolívar, Carabobo, Delta Amacuro, Distrito Capital, Falcón, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Táchira, Zulia]
BRAZIL: Brazil [Alagoas, Amapá, Amazonas, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Pará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, Sergipe]
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Colombia, Ecuador [Esmeraldas]

Reference(s)

Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
Espejo-Serna, A. et al. 2004. Checklist of Mexican Bromeliaceae with notes on species distribution and levels of endemism. Selbyana 25:54.
Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
Funk, V. et al. 2007. Checklist of the plants of the Guiana Shield (Venezuela: Amazonas, Bolivar, Delta Amacuro; Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana). Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 55:1-584.
Hokche, O. et al. 2008. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezuela.
Jørgensen, P. M. & S. León-Yánez, eds. 1999. Catalogue of the vascular plants of Ecuador. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 75
Missouri Botanical Garden. Flora of Mesoamerica Checklist (on-line resource).
Smith, L. B. & R. J. Downs. 1977. Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 14(2):992-996.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Environmental	ornamental		Araújo, C. C. & R. P. Romanini. 2018. Tillandsia bulbosa. Bromélia-cabecinha. In: Coradin, L. et al., Espécies nativas da flora brasileira de valor econômico atual ou potencial: plantas para o futuro: região Nordeste 1221-1226. Note: an ornamental with several cultivars

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=36707. Accessed 12 May 2026.