A small species with twisted foliage and fragrant light blue flowers. Native of Bolivia and Argentina where it grows in small clusters in the arid scrublands. The leaves are silvery, terete and somewhat kinked. Its inflorescence is like that of a streptocarpa, with light blue fragrant flowers. Grow bright and airy for best results.

A plant of some mystery. Central American forms of concolor are still offered as acostae, as are some forms of fasciculata. In fact, I am not certain that anyone really knows what exactly Tillandsia acostae is. This species is now considered to be rhomboidea, though we also have that species and this one is different in some ways.

Our plants came from Costa Rica many years ago. At the time we showed the plants to Prof. Dr. Werner Rauh who gave us the name. Over the years we have never seen another ‘real’ acostae, and I guess we never will as it is now not recognized. It is a compact, stiff leaved plant with a dark orange, inflorescence with four or more branches that are almost oval in cross section. Rather slow growing but worth the wait!

A very attractive Colombian species with a showy spike of inflated branches of bright orange-red, that persists for some months. Growing to about 10in with dark green foliage in an upright rosette. Easy to grow, thriving potted in an orchid-type mix or mounted.

A strange cliff dwelling species from Oaxaca, Mexico, growing to eight inches or so in a somewhat recurved rosette. The leaves are thick, succulent and rather glossy. A simple pink spike with purple flowers forms the inflorescence. A rare but hardy, easily cultivated species.

A fine-leaved caulescent species from Central America always found growing in clumps. The foliage tints reddish in strong light and the simple red spike produces pretty yellow flowers. Grows well hanging from a string where it will form massive clusters in time. Tillandsia schiedeana minor is one of three commonly recognized forms of schiedeana. Found growing in clusters of several plants up to even hundreds. In full light the plants take on a reddish cast and when in bloom, the whole colony is a mass of red spikes and yellow flowers. Very attractive. Single plants are caulescent, up to 8′, and have fine 3′ leaves. Will form an attractive clump in a few seasons. Grow mounted, bright and airy.

We collected just one of these plants back in the 1990’s in Sumidero Canyon, Chiapas, Mexico where it lives on vertical cliffs along with other interesting species like T. vanhynningii. Since then we nursed it along until we built up a still very small stock. This is a choice plant with an open rosette of many very stiff, narrow, silvery leaves and a lax inflorescence of pink branches. Very slow growing, but worth the wait.

A caulescent Peruvian plant that is quite different from other forms of this species. A stem that can reach several feet long, is covered with, 3 inch silvery leaves. A simple 12 inch or larger spike bears large deep purple flowers. An attractive plant that grows fast and produces numerous offsets from the base of the old bloom spike. This form doesn’t make roots.

A beautiful and dramatic looking species from a variety of habitats in Mexico and Central America into parts of the Caribbean.  Coastal habitats are preferred and this plant can often be found growing in mangroves or in very exposed locations in other open wooded habitats.  In nature it forms very large clusters and is sometimes inhabited by ants which take advantage of its bulbous base for housing. 

A striking plant that forms a turnip shaped and sized base of broad succulent leaves which hang down in curls.  the curliness of the leaves depends somewhat on the moisture content, becoming more curly as the plant dries out.  The leaves are coated with silvery trichomes and is quite attractive even when not in bloom.  The inflorescence is taller by more than double the base of the plant and the scape has long, curly, leaf-like bracts. Pink branches top the spike and produce purplish-blue flowers at anthesis. The color lasts for a long time and in good light, the inflorescence and some of the upper leaves of the plant can blush reddish. 

A choice plant that should be in every collection.  Easy to grow, mount or hang from a string ‘cradle’, water often and feed well to grow this plant to an impressive size.

An all-time favorite from Brazil is about 6 inches across in a leafy rosette with stiff gray-green leaves. It produces a stunning blue-flowered, plume-shaped pink inflorescence in the summer. In nature this plant can be found growing on the restinga sands of beach dunes and in trees in the foothills of the Atlantic Range in Brazil.

Tillandsia stricta The soft-leaved form from Brazil. Mature at about 3 to 4in, has fine green to reddish-tinted leaves and will flower with vivid rose-pink bracts and blue flowers.

This beautiful species is native to only a couple of isolated canyons in central Honduras. A large upright grower to over 30 inches, with stiff, reddish leaves and an inflorescence of long pink, upright, terete branches.

In nature it lives at the base of cliffs, supporting itself against rocks and other plants. In cultivation it can be kept bare root, mounted or may be potted in a well drained media.