2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
We are already familiar with individual members of the family, for example, Vriesia (Frizee), whose bright bracts persist for a long period, decorating the world. Many people like to feast on the fragrant fruits of the Real Pineapple plant. Tillandsia conquers with its not too large, but spectacular flowers
Rod Tillandsia
Several hundred species of perennial herbaceous plants born in the tropics have united into the genus
Tillandsia (Tillandsia).
Tillandsia is inferior in size to other representatives of the Bromeliad family, growing in height up to a maximum of 60 cm. But it did not win the hearts of flower growers in size, but with spectacular medium-sized flowers emerging from no less spectacular, but paler bracts. In addition, the small size of the plant fits very well into our small apartments.
Among Tillandsia there are those who like to live on the soil, letting the roots feed the plants into it, and there are others, called "epiphytes", which do not need soil, but require other, more durable plants that serve as support, but do not feed Tillandsia.
Varieties
* Tillandsia blue (Tillandsia cyanea) - three petals of a bright blue spectacular flower emerge from the "windows of a house", created by nature as if from pink or greenish tiles. This "house" is called a bract, hiding for the time being the graceful beauty of flowering. Powerful peduncles are surrounded by a rosette of gray-green narrow leaves, brown-red at the base. Plant height up to 30 cm.
* Tillandsia Lindena (Tillandsia lindenii) is an epiphytic species up to 60 cm high. It is somewhat similar to the previous species, but larger in size. From crimson or pink bracts, blue showy flowers with a white throat appear in summer. The leaves of the plant are dark green.
* Tillandsia usneiform (Tillandsia usneoides) - an adjective added to the main name, borrowed from a bearded lichen named Usnea, which has an external resemblance to the Tillandsia of this species. For its bearded appearance, the plant is also called “
Spanish moss In memory of the bearded Spanish conquerors of the New World, who surprised the natives with their facial hair.
The photo shows a plant in Venezuela.
Branched drooping shoots of a gray-colored epiphyte plant. Thin stems of Tillandsia usneiform are covered with gray scaly leaves and yellow-green small flowers.
Growing
All types of plants are sun- and moisture-loving. Their love of high humidity often makes it difficult to grow plants indoors.
If green Tillandsias require fertile soil, which includes leaf humus and sand, or peat soil with the addition of pine needles, then soil is not required for epiphytes, since they feed on sunlight and air humidity (just do not forget about regularly spraying the leaves with soft warm water). Therefore, epiphytes are planted in suspended containers, which are filled with Peat moss (Sphagnum) or Osmund fern fibers. You can do without any containers at all, attaching the plant to branches or pieces of tree bark, thereby creating a decorative composition.
Species grown in soil need regular watering with effective drainage to keep the water from stagnating in the pot. Once a month, watering is combined with mineral feeding. Epiphytic species in the hot season are sprayed a couple of times a day, and in winter they rarely carry out this procedure. The spray water should not be hard and cold.
Transplantation and reproduction
Epiphytic plants do not need a transplant if it is not associated with the division of overgrown plants for reproduction.
Species growing in the soil, once every couple of years, change their capacity to another, larger in size. Such species are propagated by separating the children.
Enemies
Excessive moisture causes decay of the root collar. Worms and prolific aphids can attack.
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