05/14/2026
Who Are the Names After the Species?
Understanding the People Behind Bromeliad Scientific Names 🌿
When reading bromeliad names, many hobbyists notice mysterious abbreviations like:
* Tillandsia ionantha Planch.
* Neoregelia carolinae (Beer) L.B.Sm.
* Goudaea ospinae (H.Luther) W.Till & Barfuss
But who are these people? And why are some names inside parentheses?
Here’s a simple guide to the “human side” of bromeliad taxonomy.
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The name after the species is called the “authority”
In botany, the abbreviated name after a species tells you who officially described or published that plant name.
Examples:
* L.B.Sm. = Lyman Bradford Smith
* Mez = Carl Christian Mez
* Harms = Hermann Harms
* E.Morren = Édouard Morren
* W.Till = Walter Till
* H.Luther = Harry Luther
These abbreviations are standardized so botanists around the world use the same author names.
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Why are some names in parentheses?
This is one of the most confusing parts for beginners.
Example:
Neoregelia carolinae (Beer) L.B.Sm.
This means:
* Beer originally described the species,
* but under a different genus,
* and later L.B. Smith moved it into Neoregelia.
So:
* name in parentheses = original author
* name outside parentheses = botanist who changed the classification
Think of it as:
“Originally described by X, later revised by Y.”
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What if there are two or more names?
You may see:
* L.B.Sm. & Read
* Manzan. & W.Till
* Gouda & Butcher
That simply means multiple botanists worked together on the description or revision.
Taxonomy is often collaborative.
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The giants of bromeliad taxonomy
Some names appear constantly throughout bromeliad literature because those botanists described enormous numbers of species.
L.B. Smith (Lyman Bradford Smith)
Without question, one of the most influential bromeliad taxonomists ever.
His abbreviation:
L.B.Sm.
appears on hundreds and hundreds of bromeliad names.
If you browse bromeliad species lists, his name shows up everywhere:
* Puya
* Tillandsia
* Neoregelia
* Pitcairnia
* and many more.
For many growers, L.B. Smith is the defining figure in bromeliad taxonomy.
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Carl Mez
Abbreviation:
Mez
Another legendary bromeliad botanist.
Carl Mez described a massive number of bromeliads in the late 1800s and early 1900s and became one of the foundational authorities in Bromeliaceae classification.
If you collect species plants, you see “Mez” constantly.
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Harry Luther
Abbreviation:
H.Luther
A modern icon in bromeliad science and one of the most respected figures in the hobby.
Harry Luther contributed enormously to bromeliad literature, identification, nomenclature, and taxonomic work.
Many growers know him from:
* the Bromeliad Binomials lists,
* Selby Gardens,
* and decades of taxonomic contributions.
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Édouard Morren
Abbreviation:
E.Morren
One of the early great bromeliad botanists and horticultural pioneers from Belgium.
Morren helped popularize bromeliads in cultivation during the 19th century and described many classic species still grown today.
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Species named AFTER people
Sometimes the species itself honors a person.
Examples:
* Puya harry-lutheri
* Neoregelia fosteriana
* Tillandsia werdermannii
These are called epithets honoring people.
Common endings:
* -ii
* -iae
* -iana
* -orum
Usually meaning:
“named in honor of…”
So:
* smithii = honoring Smith
* lutheri = honoring Luther
* fosteriana = honoring Mulford Foster
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Why do scientific names change?
Because taxonomy evolves.
As botanists study:
* DNA,
* morphology,
* geography,
* and evolutionary relationships,
species may move to different genera or get revised completely.
That is why author citations matter — they preserve the naming history of the plant.
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In the end…
Scientific names are more than labels.
They are a living history of:
* explorers,
* botanists,
* collectors,
* taxonomists,
* and the people who dedicated their lives to understanding bromeliads.
Every abbreviation tells part of that story.
💬 Which botanist abbreviation do you see most often in your collection tags? Or which bromeliad species name made you curious enough to look up the person behind it?
