Tillandsia the Beautiful Air Plant

 

In this article, we will provide one of the strange and unique types of ornamental plants that you may still rarely encounter.

“Tillandsia the Beautiful Air plant” , as he was nicknamed.

So, the name is tillandsia . This plant is called an air plant or air plant because it can live with air media, hang in the air, without soil, without fertilizer and without even being watered. Wow.. miraculous huh?? But this is not an artificial plant, you know, 100% original plant life.

The tillandsia series placed on the terrarium makes it look more beautiful.

If so, how does tillandisia live?

Tillandsia is an epiphytic plant whose way of life is attached to or dependent on the stalks, stems and branches of other higher plants. But he doesn't become a parasite for the plants he attaches to, doesn't damage them, just rides on life.

Plants that are still related to these pineapples (from the Bromelia family ), can stay alive by relying on the fine hairs that spread all over their bodies. Fine hairs in the form of almost invisible spines are used to absorb moisture and capture nutrients and nutrients released by dust in the air.

Because of its unique life ability, this plant is usually grown by hanging it on a rope, hanging on a wire, some attaching it to a piece of wood, simply placing it on cute-shaped glass containers like terranium, or even just sticking it to rocks. Almost like an orchid . However, orchids still need planting media along with their growth supports such as fertilizer and water, but not thillandia, which can live without these auxiliary media.

Called the air plant because this plant can stay alive when hanging in the air even without planting media though.

In addition to the way of life, this Latin American desert flower also has a unique shape, even seems strange. Some are in the form of clumps of fine hairs like tangled threads, there are those that resemble leeks but are stiff and winding and there are many other types that are very attractive and interesting.
Here are some tillandsia plants that have started circulating in Indonesia:

•  Tillandsia usneoides

Tillandsia usneoides is what is called the beard of Moses or the beard of the Prophet. This type of tillandia is shaped like a clump of dangling fine threads. When hanging, at first glance also resembles very fine fishing nets. But the fine strands also look like a beard hanging in the air. No wonder it is sometimes called a beard and another unique name is "Tillandsia Beard Ghost".

In Europe, there are several restaurants and luxury hotels that use Tillandsia usneoides as room decorations.

• Tillandsia streptocarpa

When stretched, it looks like a ribbed triangle. However, because the growth is curved, it looks chaotic here and there with a stiff texture. The color is grayish green. This gray pattern is due to the trichomes that cover his entire body. This type of Tillandsia has dark blue-purple flowers, spreading its fragrant aroma. Adds aesthetic value.

The trichomes that were all over his body made his appearance completely gray.

• Tillandsia Caput-medusae

Its shape is like a preserved leaf snake. That is why it is called caput-medusae, because the leaves resemble the hair of the snake god in Greek mythology, Medusa. The base of the leaves looks like tubers that are tuberous and gray in color, the leaves are lettuce green. It has bright red flowers and purple highlighters that come out of the leaf sheaths. Then the yellow pollen ornament adds to the beauty of this type of tillandsia.

The shape of the leaves is like a snake that comes out of the tuber-shaped base.

• Tillandsia aeranthos

It grows with leaves that resemble pineapple leaves, but the size of the leaves is small. The leaves are clustered and have beautiful flowers with a charming color combination, namely an indigo purple flower crown and ruby ​​red petals. Produces many flowers and buds for a month.

Tiillandsia aeranthos produces more flowers than other types of water plants.

• Tillandsia butzii

At first glance, the shape of the leaves resembles the Caput-medusae tillandsia. But the size of this type of butzii is not too big. Then the base looks bulging like a tuber with a combination of brown, green, white and gray patterns that arise along the fleshy leaves. Very artistic.

The shape is almost the same as Caput-medusae, except that on tillandsia butzii there are brown spots at the base.

In addition to the types above, there are many other types of tillandsia plants that are more unique and interesting. This plant can indeed live without watering, but there are also some whose growth is not very good when the weather is very hot, usually the leaves will shrink and wrinkle, but do not die. So in order to get a fertile tillandsia, it is advisable to know what type of tillandsia you are keeping, and what its needs are. This type of tillandsia might be able to be sprayed with a little water to make it fresh again.

Basically this plant does not need a lot of nutrients, especially nutrients in the form of nutrients that can be absorbed by themselves from the air. So it will not be difficult when taking care of it. Especially if you live in a mountainous area, where the area is cold and cool, in areas like that, tillandsia plants don't even need to be watered at all.

Well, what do you think? Interested in maintaining this strange and unique plant? If you are interested, it seems that you really have to look for and ask ornamental plant traders, because their existence is still not too widespread and the price is definitely still quite expensive. But for true plant lovers, it's certainly not an obstacle ... hehehe ..

If you're having trouble getting tillandsia plants, don't worry gardeners. You can buy it at our online shop, let's see our tillandsia plant catalog  here . So, keep hunting and happy planting…