3. Guzmania Ruiz & Pávon, Flora Peruviana. 3: 37. 1802.
[for A. Guzman, an 18th-century Spanish naturalist]
Harry E. Luther;Gregory K. Brown
Herbs, usually epiphytic, stemless to rarely caulescent. Leaves many-ranked, usually ligulate, margins entire. Inflorescences 5--many-flowered, many-ranked, mostly 2-pinnate to less commonly single spike, flowers laxly to densely arranged; floral bracts broad, conspicuous, mostly obscuring rachis. Flowers bisexual; sepals distinct to connate over 1/2 length, usually symmetric; petals with claws adherent to subconnate petal, forming short tube, blade distinct; stamens usually included, adherent to adnate with petal claws; ovary superior. Capsules cylindric, dehiscent. Seeds with basal, usually tan-brown plumose appendage.
Species ca. 160 (1 in the flora): widespread in the moist Neotropics.
SELECTED REFERENCE
Bennet, B. C. 1992. The Florida bromeliads: Guzmania monostachia. J. Bromeliad Soc. 42: 266--270.
