This is a beauty and one of our favorite Tillandsias! We collected our original plants many years ago in Southern Ecuador and have propagated them since. An excellent species with many arching silvery-gray leaves in a 20 inch or larger rosette, with a beautiful branched rose-red inflorescence lasting for months.

Native to semi arid valleys and can often be found in trees near water courses. Somewhat of a slow grower but a spectacular plant at maturity. This species thrives with bright light and moderate watering and feeding.

The Florida native form of this widespread species which has a range that runs from Florida and the Bahamas to Northern South America. An upright, tubular, vase-shaped plant with broadly tapering, spiraled leaves. The color is brownish-green with a coating of silver trichomes that normally forms in bands. The inflorescence is tall, thin and usually branched, normally green in Florida, but can be reddish sometimes. The flowers are arranged at right angles and are rosy/pink. Often a twig epiphyte in nature, it is easy to grow mounted. Keep warm, (above 40's) as this is an especially tropical species that in Florida is restricted to the southern Everglades and coastal regions of South Florida.

VIPP Plants Budded as of 08/25/25

One of the more unusual of all Tillandsias because of its habit of producing offsets all along its three foot long inflorescence, as well as in the more usual manner. A handsome plant with rather stiff leaves arranged in a more open rosette. This form of flexuosa is apparently native only to Venezuela, with two major colonies of slightly different plants. One colony occurs on the north coast where it often grows in large numbers in shrubs, trees and cacti on the seaside cliffs. Large clusters of these plants weigh down the limbs of the local scrub-type vegetation, often breaking loose and falling into the sea.

The other colony is in the Andes, near Merida, where it grows mainly in large clusters on the ground and in some low shrubbery. This form has thicker leaves and is larger and more open in shape. An easy to grow species that thrives mounted in a warm environment. 

This is a form of this lithophytic species from Venezuela that grows to nearly 10 inches tall, or at least generally larger than most other clones. Other than that it is typical, needle like ¾ inch long leaves on a long stem, silvery green, tinting red in good light and blushing deep red at the crown near anthesis. Flaring, tubular flowers are bright red.