La Tillandsia, also known as "daughter of the air", belongs to the bromeliad family. It is an extraordinary plant that over the years has been able to adapt to the most extreme conditions, including living without the need for an underlying soil.
When we think of the parts of a plant, the roots come to mind, among them, well, the Tillandsia does not always have roots, and when it does, it uses them for something different from what we are used to seeing. In his case it is more a function of support and anchorage.
Tillandsia, an epiphytic species
This plant can grow in the most unexpected places, such as around a telephone pole, on top of other plants, around the trunk of a tree...in fact, the name of the species, epiphyte, means that it is a plant that lives on top of other plants.
It is a perennial, herbaceous plant that is native to America. But it is not characterized by living in a specific type of environment but in very different places, yes, all from america. We can find it both in a tropical jungle and in a desert terrain, or even in the Andes plateaus.
How does a Tillandsia feed?
You may wonder what this plant feeds on if it doesn't have roots or the ones it does use as an anchor... well, it does it through the leaves and the air. Hence the name they give it "daughter of the air", because it is fed by elements that the leaves contain and are known as trichomes. What these elements do is capture moisture from the air and use it as sustenance. But you can not live only on water, it also captures nitrogen through some banitrogen-fixing falcons.
What are Tillandsias like?
It is very difficult to describe this plant because there is nothing more and nothing less than 730 species, and each of them different from the others, so you can already imagine the variety of colors and shapes that there are. Of course, we can say that one of the characteristics of the plant is that it usually has bright and very varied colors, let's not forget that it is a tropical plant, no matter how much it can live in desert areas. But I will show you the 3 most common.
Tillandsia Cyanea
One of the best-known species is Tillandsia cyanea, which has very thin, narrow, long, green leaves and very pretty pink flowers. The flowers are with flat petals, mounted one on the other as an image of a "pineapple". But these flowers do not last more than 4 months and they do not appear more than once in the entire life of the plant. It is a very delicate plant and is usually in warm and humid areas.
tillandsia aeranthos
This is another of the best known for its flowers because they combine purple and pink. But it has the same defect as the Cyanea, it only gives flowers once in a lifetime. It is small and needs sun.
Tillandsia Usneoides
This plant is very curious and very different from the ones we have mentioned so far. It is known as the "beard of Moses" because of its long, grayish beard appearance. When it has flowers, it looks like a tangle of gray threads that fall to the ground, but when facing the heat, in the summer, green and yellow flowers with an intense and pleasant smell appear.
Growing Tillandsias Outside of America
Although, as we have said, it is a plant that is only found in America, it is true that it can be seen in more and more areas due to its peculiar appearance, because it does not need a substrate and because it is still an exotic plant and everything exotic always calls the attention. Well, if we want to have it in our lands we must know that they hold up better inside the houses.
It is one of the plants that is beginning to be used to purify indoor air because it not only captures water with its trichomes but also polluting substances.
Depending on the variety we have chosen, they will need more or less humidity. In the case that they need humidity, the ideal is to put them in the kitchen or bathroom. If they don't need so much humidity, any room is good.
If we want to have it strong we must pay attention to the heat. They need heat. They can hold without substrate but not cold. So, we can have them in the garden in summer, but we should not put them directly in the sun. If you have a tree, you can put it on the trunk and it will generate roots by itself to anchor itself to the tree, but keep in mind that when it gets cold it will die.
How much should you water Tillandsia?
Special care must be taken in areas with a dry climate, if not, let's remember that it only captures water from the air through the trichomes. You don't need to water it a lot. A curious fact, the Tillandsias with green leaves need more water than those with gray leaves.
When you water them you have to do something similar to when you water orchids. You have to take the plant and put it under the tap for a few minutes.
When should pruning be done?
Maximum twice a month and without going overboard. It is a self-sufficient plant but we must remove the leaves that are sick or dry. They usually get sick from the attack of aphids and mealybugs.
When we get too much sunlight, the leaves turn darker, it will be the sign that we are loading it, we must move it to a place with less sun. In case the leaves begin to fall, it means that there is too much air, you have to put it in a place more sheltered from the wind.
Growing in pots
The ideal for these plants is to live on other plants or trunks, not on potted substrates. The only species that can endure being in a pot longer are the Tillandia Cyanea, which we have already talked about before, and the Lindeliana, which is another species of Tillandsia that we have not seen today but that we will see later.