An interesting species from Bahia, Brazil where it grows on exposed rock. Upright growing with narrow, 8 inch long leaves on a caulescent stem. The inflorescence is an erect spike, slightly taller than the foliage, terminating with a cluster of pink bracts and white flowers. A mature plant in bloom can reach 16 inches tall and 8 inches wide. Our plant is descended directly from the type collection by Elton Leme.

An unusual rock dwelling (saxicolous) Tillandsia of the deserts of southern Mexico with recurved, stiff silver leaves. Forms a very attractive clump.  The individual plants recurve in a claw-like fashion, towards the cliff or mount. A small silver plant to less than six inches and grows in a teardrop shape. The inflorescence is a simple pink spike. Forms a very attractive clump. A neat little plant great for mounting.

A beautiful plant that forms large colonies on the rocks of its Brazilian habitat of Cabo Frio. A caulescent lithophyte with short, stiff, green to bronzy leaves and a nice inflorescence of salmon bracts and blue flowers. Forms many offsets on the old stems. Very easy to grow in partial to full sun.

A species with long very thin, grassy leaves, that are stiff, succulent and form a spreading, funnelform rosette. Closely resembling Tillandsia hammeri, it differs in being larger, more spreading, less silvery and stoloniferous. The inflorescence has more and wider branches but is more compact and taller, among other differences. Native to limestone outcrops near Nizanda, Oaxaca, Mexico, it was first collected by Ehlers and only described in 2016. The many leaves form an upright rosette to nearly two feet tall with an erect inflorescence of pink bracts and deep violet flowers.

A caulescent species with a stem to over two feet long with very stiff, thick, spreading, almost succulent, red leaves. The inflorescence consists of a rose-red scape with 3 to 6 narrow, silvery branches, the whole extending over a foot. Native to Veracruz, Mexico where it grows as an epiphyte in small trees under semi-arid conditions. Easy to cultivate.

A Mexican species from Sinaloa state, our plant is a piece of the type plant collected by Harry Luther in 1993 and described in 1997. A clumping 'needle leaved' species that closely resembles the Florida endemic simulata. Tapering leaves are quite succulent and densely lepidote. The inflorescence is about as long as the foliage with up to six branches, silvery lepidote over green and bearing tubular purple flowers. Found in clusters growing on Bombax trees at about 3,500 feet of altitude.

A miniature gem! Native from southern Florida, Cuba, Mexico, Central America and into South America down to Ecuador and Brazil. This plant is now commercially cultivated in Guatemala. A short, fat little bulb with fuzzy silver leaves looking like little arms. The inflorescence is large for the size of the plant, and is an inflated spike that sometimes blushes deep pink or can remain silvery. Despite it’s fuzzy coat of large silver trichomes, pruinosa is a forest dweller. Grow shady and moist. A very nice, must-have plant.

This is a giant form of Tillandsia pruinosa from Colombia. It is like the smaller or regular forms except that it is larger and does not color up at anthesis as some forms do. It grows to nearly 12 inches tall with a thick base. It might resemble a slightly more slender Tillandsia seleriana due to its size but is a pruinosa for sure. Up right leaves and a bulbous base, all covered with heavy trichomes. Nice.

Many years ago I acquired my first specimen of this fine Tillandsia from Fred Fuchs, famed orchid collector and explorer, and never dreamed that I would ever see it growing wild. Years later our explorations took us to the arid scrub forests of western Ecuador and northern Peru where this plant was abundant, often in the crowns of towering Bombax trees.

A beautiful species with rather thin, very dark gray, stiff, almost brittle leaves in a symmetrical open rosette that can reach 18 inches across.

The inflorescence, a tall spike with a cluster of short branches, develops slowly, becoming vivid lacquer red and lasting in color for months.

A bulbous plant with a thick base to over an inch, and very stiff, contorted, terete wiry leaves. The plants are gray and slightly striped. The inflorescence is a tall spike with lavender branches. Very colorful in bloom. Great clumping plant, grows well just suspended from a string or wire.

A somewhat controversial species, we originally obtained this plant as Tillandsia pucaraensis and have kept the original name. From Northern Peru with semi-soft gray foliage and a branched pink inflorescence, the narrow leaves form a leafy, upright rosette.

We have different clones from other growers but this one most closely agrees with Ehlers' original description and many other illustrated pucaraensis. There is no way for us to resolve the question of guelzii or pucaraensis but we can refer you to the Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies website for further discussion.

Our original photo (shown with bloom spike) is of a wild-collected plant. Our current generation of plants (photo without inflorescence) are much more lush due to the excellent care of our Tillandsia grower, Veronica, and her crew.

Tillandsia purpurea is found in Peru's famous coastal deserts where it forms large colonies on the burning sands, each containing millions of plants of a single or a few clones. Adjacent valleys may have completely different looking forms which are in fact the same species. This happens to be one of the more desirable of Tillandsias due in part to its ease of cultivation and its colorful, fragrant flowers.