Family: Bromeliad
Sub-Family: Tillandsioideae:
Genus: Tillandsia
Sub-Genus:
Native distribution and habitat: T. filifolia is native to Southern Mexico, British
Honduras, Honduras and Costa Rica, where it grows in moist, shady locations
on rocks in full sun, from 100 to 2,200 m.
Growth habit: Despite looking like a delicate miniature plant with foliage so
fine that it appears to be made of gray thread, T. filifolia is actually a hardy plant
withstanding high winds and drought. With an ageotropic growth habit over
time it produces intriguing clumps.
Foliage: The plant has countless fine needle like gray green leaves 75 mm
- 150 mm long, which form a dense rosette that looks like a pincushion with
hundreds of projecting pins.
Flowers: The plant forms a branched inflorescence, 150 mm high, emerges
with petals of a light lavender colour.
Seed:
Pups:
Cultivation: The plant is easy to grow, normally produces numerous offsets
that separate easily. Dale W. Jenkins of the Sarasota Bromeliad Society suggests
the species is hardy with survival and little or no damage at -3 °c for
several hours.
Availability: Often available.
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