Tillandsia are a species of bromeliad and an epiphyte. commonly referred to as airplants, This amazing species comes in an array of colours, textures and sizes, and is native to warm and temperate regions of Mexico, Central and South America and some South Eastern parts of the United States. Their habitats range from rain and cloud forests, deserts and swamps and even as high as nine thousand feet above sea level. Amazing right? There are over 600 species of tillandsia, making them the largest species in the bromeliad family. Most bromeliads are well known - including the pineapple! The term 'airplant' can refer to any plant that grows without soil or any substrate at all. Tillandsia are epiphytes - this means a plant that grows on another host plant or surface, usually getting its nutrients and moisture from the air around it. Epiphytes are non-parasitic plants (they do not take any nutrients from their host) and also include mosses, orchids, liverworts, algae and some succulents and cacti, and nearly all of the bromeliad family, although there are some exceptions, like neoregelia, (which are called tank bromeliads: which collect their water in a central cluster of leaves) which grow in soil.
Tillandsia (or tillys, for short) have roots, but these are purely for attaching themselves to a host. They provide no other purpose. TIllys can be found growing on rocks, in trees, crevices, and on other plants, and in urban areasn on fences and telegraph poles. As long as the light is right, a tilly will grow just about anywhere. Not all tillys have roots either; quite often they are without roots in fact, but this is not an issue as they provide no material benefit to the health of the plant. Its best not to chop them off though if the plant does have roots as it’s still a part of the plant itself.
How does a tillandsia get its food and water?
As mentioned, tillys get their nutrients through the air. Moisture will fall on the leaves as will any tiny spec of nutrient floating around., but how does the leaf of a tilly absorb anything? Well, they have trichomes. Trichomes are modified scales or hairs and grow across the entire surface of the plant. Some plants have hairs - these are Xeric airplants. Plants with scales are Mesic. We'll discuss those later.
Bigger and more feathery trichomes have the ability to trap more moisture and nutrients from the air, feeding the plant for longer in drier and hotter conditions. Plants with scale trichomes mean that the surface is flatter, and water will run off the leaves quicker, allowing the plant to drain itself of water and therefore not drown. These are found in rainforests and wetter, shadier areas.
Tillys with hairs are generally more feathery in appearance and have a silver greyish appearance. They feel softer to
the touch and are generally more delicate, although not always. These are XERIC airplants. Tillys with scales are smoother and more rugged, and are either a bright or mid green colour. These are MESIC airplants.
it's vital not to use tap water in the UK because the limescale will eventually block the trichomes and the plant will not be able to take up its moisture and nutrients, and will eventually die. rainwater is best
Trichomes will adapt to their conditions, changing the angle at which they protrude from the leaf's surface depending on the intensity of the sun
The different types of tillys
Xerophytes are able to live in hot, dry climates with little rainfall and hours of sunshine. Their fuzzy leaves and dense trichomes give them an appearance of silver grey in colour and are fuzzy in appearance. These super efficient trichomes are huge storage units for the plant, and gather and store every little bit of moisture in the air, making the plant exceptionally drought tolerant. In turn, the light colour of the leaves helps to reflect the sunlight, affording the plant protection for the burning rays of the sun. Most xeric plants will have either long spindly or curly leaves. Curly varieties will get curlier the drier they become and these generally have a more bulbous bottom, which also helps it store water. Xerics are a good choice if you want to water your plants less frequently, but they will need brighter light to survive.
XEROPHYTES - Xeric - Greek for 'dry', Phytes - Greek for 'plant'
Mesic airplants grow in habitats with a moderate amount of rainfall and humidity in the air like tropical rainforests. Because their environment has more rainfall, their trichomes don't need to be as prominent, and therefore they sit flatter against the leaf, giving the plant a smoother appearance and greener colour. Mesic plants tend to grow quicker than xeric plants but they will need more watering and less sunlight Mesic plants are great for showers and bathrooms because of the humidity in the air. spanish moss is also great in a bathroom, and although it is silver grey in colour, it actually prefers more moisture and humidity than other xeric plants
mesic - Greek for 'middle'
The flowers of tillandsia
Amazingly, tillandsia produce flowers. They come in a wide variety of colours and sizes, from teeny tiny barely visible flowers on tillandsia usneoides (Spanish Moss), to the huge specimens on tillandsia Stretophyllia, as featured to the right. Some have scent, and some don't - most don't actually, but those that do are often highly scented. In the wild, most tillys will bloom at the beginning of the dry season. This allows their seeds the best chance of germinating before the wet season arrives and washes them away. At home, you will need to provide the plant with as much light as possible if you want it to bloom as well as the correct amount of water and nutrients.
Understanding the parts of tillys
Tillandsia have the same structure as all other plants, except for their root system and branches on hardwood plants. Leaf - unlike most other plants though the leaves are the main part of tillandsia and form its main structure. these are the parts that are covered in the trichomes and are the only source of their food and water intake inflorescence - this is the entire part of the plant that produces the flower. the inflorescence is made up of:
the stem/ stalk
bracts - the modified leaves or sheath from which the petals form
flowers
Flowers usually last a long time, with the bracts on some plants lasting even longer. once a tillandsia has flowered you can cut the whole thing down to the base of the plant if you wish. Tillandsias will only flower once in their lifetime, but, all is not lost. Once it has flowered and finished flowering, the mother plant will start to produce babies, called PUPS. The job of the mother plant from now on will be to nurture the pup until it is old enough to grow on its own. This is one of the ways in which tillandsia reproduce. the other method is setting seed. It does both to ensure that there are offspring one way or another! In most cases, when a tillandsia has produced a flower and a pup, the mother plant will die off at which point you can safely remove the pup, and the cycle will start all over again. If however, the plant has produced babies from seed - well that's when you can get some incredible clumps of plants forming.
In summary
Tillandsia are fascinating plants. Quite addictive once you get started, these are a wonderful plant for an enthusiastic plant lover to get acquainted with. Start of small and cheap so it doesn't matter if you kill it, and work up to the more expensive and collectable ones if you choose. They'll reward you with beauty and excitement, hopefully for years!
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