Tillandsia straminea is native to South America. It grows in an area between southern Ecuador and central Peru, from the coastal desert up to 2500 meters. This air plant can easily be confused with Tillandsia purpurea from which it differs by its straw yellow and naked primary bracts; sometimes confused with Tillandsia cacticola , even when in bloom.
Tillandsia straminea is a species of the genus Tillandsia. This species was described by Carl Sigismund Kunth in 1816.
IDENTIFY TILLANDSIA STRAMINEA AIR PLANT
Tillandsia straminea is native to South America. It grows in an area between southern Ecuador and central Peru, from the coastal desert up to 2500 meters. This air plant can easily be confused with Tillandsia purpurea from which it differs by its straw yellow and naked primary bracts; sometimes confused with Tillandsia cacticola , even when in bloom.
It is a stemless to short-stemmed epiphyte, which reaching up to 50 cm high that have leaves forming a rosette. The leaves are up to 25 cm long, 10 mm wide next to sheath, then tapering gradually to a long filiform tip, leathery, large lepidote, spreading, brownish pruinose.
This air plant blooms from compound, seldom simple, many flowered, up to 8 flowers, sub-digitate panicle, dense, to 9 cm long, and 6 cm wide inflorescence. The primary bracts elliptic-lanceolate, long acute, shorter than the spikes. The floral bracts a little shorter than the sepals, sub-erect, not at all imbricate, to 7 mm apart, sub-membranaceous, prominently nerved on the back, carinate towards the tip and a little incurved, wide elliptic-ovate, acute, to 18 mm long. The flowers are up to 2.2 cm long, white, with a blue edge, fragrant, enveloping the stamens. Sepals anterior free, posterior pair connate to 2 mm, sub-leathery wide hyaline margins, wide ovate-elliptic, becoming obtuse, to 1.6 cm long. Petals longer than the sepals by up to 5 mm, blades sub-erect, rounded.
TILLANDSIA STRAMINEA AIR PLANT CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Tillandsia straminea requires good light and enjoys full sun (avoid the afternoon in summer if the plant is young or has not been used). This species is easy enough to cultivate as long as it provides a lot of light.
Temperature:
The ideal temperature range from 10 - 30 ° C. Get it early enough in the fall if you grow it outside, so that it does not face night temperatures below 4 or 5 ° C, especially if it is wet. The plants can faced temperatures close to 0 ° C (sheltered and dry) for a few hours without damage.
Humidity:
This species need a moderate level of humidity. Good aeration is required, the plant must dry quickly (in less than an hour).
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Tillandsia straminea can be suspended or be mounted on a solid substrate that does not retain water. You can glue the plant directly to the surface with a strong adhesive, or you can wire the plant to the base. Don't cover the base of the plant with moss or it may rot. It can be grown on almost any imaginable decorative mount, including shells, rocks, slate, driftwood, etc. Group them in decorative clumps for maximum effect.
Watering:
Twice a week in summer, once a week in winter according to the luminosity and the ambient humidity. Obviously when it rains and if you grow it outside, it counts as a watering.
Fertilizer:
This air plant can be fertilized with the moderate doses. 1 to 2 times a month in the summer and 1 time a month in the winter.
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