Tillandsia
Habit | bromeliad
| |
---|---|---|
Lifespan: | ⌛ | perennial |
Features: | ✓ | flowers, foliage |
---|
If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
The plant genus Tillandsia, a member of the Bromeliad family (Bromeliaceae), is found in the deserts, forests and mountains of Central and South America, and Mexico and the southern United States in North America.
The thinner-leafed varieties grow in rainy areas and the thick-leafed varieties in areas more subject to drought. Moisture and nutrients are gathered from the air (dust, decaying leaves and insect matter) through structures on the leaves called trichomes.
Tillandsia species are epiphytes (also called aerophytes or air plants) – ie they normally grow without soil while attached to other plants). Epiphytes are not parasitic, depending on the host only for support.
The genus Tillandsia was named by Carolus Linnaeus after the Swedish physician and botanist Dr. Elias Tillandz (originally Tillander) (1640-1693).
Etymology
Common names for Tillandsia include air plant, Ball moss (T. recurvata) and Spanish moss, the latter referring to T. usneoides in particular.
Description
Tillandsia are epiphytes and need no soil because water and nutrients are absorbed through the leaves. The roots are used as anchors only. Reproduction is by seeds or by offsets called "pups". A single plant could have up to a dozen pups.
Although not normally cultivated for their flowers, some Tillandsia will bloom on a regular basis. In addition, it is quite common for some species to take on a different leaf colour (usually changing from green to red) when about to flower. This is an indication that the plant is monocarpic (flowers once before dying) but offsets around the flowering plant will continue to thrive.
Temperature is not critical, the range being from 32°C down to 10°C. They are sensitive to frost, except for the hardiest species, T. usneoides, which can tolerate night-time frosts down to about -10°C.
ExpandRead about Tillandsia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
|
---|
Cultivation
- Do you have cultivation info on this plant? Edit this section!
Propagation
- Do you have propagation info on this plant? Edit this section!
Pests and diseases
- Do you have pest and disease info on this plant? Edit this section!
Species
Subgenera:
- Tillandsia
- Allardtia (A. Dietr) Baker
- Anoplophytum (Beer) Baker
- Diaphoranthema (Beer) Baker
- Phytarrhiza (Vis.) Baker
- Pseudalcantarea Mez
Selected species:
- Tillandsia aeranthos
- Tillandsia anceps
- Tillandsia bulbosa
- Tillandsia caput-medusae
- Tillandsia cyanea
- Tillandsia excelsa
- Tillandsia fasciculata
- Tillandsia flabellata
- Tillandsia funckiana
- Tillandsia gardneri
- Tillandsia lindenii
- Tillandsia lorenziana
- Tillandsia paucifolia
- Tillandsia stricta
- Tillandsia tenuifolia
- Tillandsia usneoides
- Tillandsia xerographica
Gallery
If you have a photo of this plant, please upload it! Plus, there may be other photos available for you to add.
References
- Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
External links
- w:Tillandsia. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
- Tillandsia QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)