Tillandsia Ionantha | Popular Air Plant

The Ionantha subgenus of Tillandsia is endemic to Mexico, Costa Rica, and certain areas of South America.  It likes warmer, humid conditions but will do just fine in a dryer environment with regular misting.  There have been a large amount of Ionantha clones, hybrids, and cultivars created all with their own unique characteristics.  

Common Ionantha varieties include: 

Ionantha Ionantha, Ionantha Guatemala, Ionantha Mexican, Ionantha Rubra, Ionantha Fuego, Ionantha Peanut, Ionantha Victoriana, Ionantha Rosita, and more by the day as these popular plant is hybridised by delighted growers.

Tillandsia Ionantha species enjoy strong sunlight, so they should also be kept in an area that gets adequate light throughout the day(east/west facing windows are best).  

Soaking the plant once or twice a week depending on the environment is a common and successful method of hydrating, and regular misting as needed.  And don't forget, always water your air plants in the morning and make sure to shake off any excess water before setting them out to dry!

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Spanish Moss - Tillandsia Usneoides

Tillandsia Usneoides (Spanish Moss) is an epiphytic plant from the Bromeliad family that often grows upon larger trees in tropical and subtropical climates, native to much of Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Central America, South America, the Southern United States, West Indies and is also naturalised in Queensland (Australia)

Spanish moss like many Tillandsia is covered with trichomes (tiny gray scales), these trap water until the plant can absorb it. The plant’s tissues can hold more water than the plant needs, to keep it going through dry periods. When the tissues plump up after a rain, Spanish moss appears more green. As the water is used, it returns to a gray hue.

Buy Spanish Moss in Sydney

Flowering and Seeds:

Spanish Moss produces a beautiful but very small flower and shortly after can get pollenated and form a seed pod. These seeds are light with feathery appendages and much like a compact dandelion seed. This allows them to float through the air until they land on a good spot to grow: another tree or rock.

Tillandsia - All about the Air Plant

Tillandsia is a genus of around 650 species of evergreen, perennial flowering plants in the family Bromeliaceae, native to the forests, mountains and deserts of northern Mexico and south-eastern United States, Mesoamerica and the Caribbean to mid Argentina.

Some common types of Tillandsia include Ionantha (below)
ball moss ( T. recurvata )
and Spanish moss ( T. usneoides )



They are also commonly known as air plants because of their natural propensity to cling wherever conditions permit: telephone wires, tree branches, barks, bare rocks, etc. Their light seeds and a silky parachute facilitate this spread.

Most Tillandsia species are epiphytes – which translates to 'upon a plant'. Some are aerophytes, which have a minimal root system and grow on shifting desert soil. Due to their epiphytic way of life these plants will not grow in soil, but live on the branches of trees, in deserts and on other substrates that will not be saturated with water for very long.

How was the Tillandsia Named?

The genus Tillandsia was named by Carl Linnaeus after the Swedish physician and botanist Dr. Elias Tillandz (originally Tillander) (1640–1693).

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