Tillandsia ehlersiana is native to Mexico. It is found up to an altitude of about 700 meters above sea level. This plant is often confused by neophytes with Tillandsia caput-medusae and especially with Tillandsia seleriana but Tillandsia ehlersiana is smaller, more scaly, has much curved leaves, poorly visible floral bracts and has an ovoid inflorescence emerging from hardly leaves with ears that are not removed from the axis.
Tillandsia ehlersiana is a species of the genus Tillandsia. This species was described by Werner Rauh in 1984.
IDENTIFY TILLANDSIA EHLERSIANA AIR PLANT
Tillandsia ehlersiana is native to Mexico. It is found up to an altitude of about 700 meters above sea level. This plant is often confused by neophytes with Tillandsia caput-medusae and especially with Tillandsia seleriana but Tillandsia ehlersiana is smaller, more scaly, has much curved leaves, poorly visible floral bracts and has an ovoid inflorescence emerging from hardly leaves with ears that are not removed from the axis.
It is a small to medium sized (20 to 25 cm), rather saxicolous species with relatively few, thin and slightly curved at the ends leaves. The limbs are triangular, have a gutter shape, with the apex curved.
This air plant bloom from the quite small (shorter than the leaves), ovoid, branched (bipinnate) inflorescence in small flat spikes and appressed at the axis of the inflorescence, each bearing 2 or 3 flowers. The floral bracts are imbricate, pinkish green and very scaly. The non-fragrant flowers are almost sessile, tubular, 3 cm long, violet (sometimes bluish), almost white at the base. The stamens and the pistil are exserts.
TILLANDSIA EHLERSIANA 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 ehlersiana requires good light, and enjoys full sun (avoid the afternoon in summer if the plant is young or has not been used). Place the plant very close to a window indoors in the winter and preferably outside the summer in a sunny situation.
Temperature:
The required temperature ranging from 10 to 32°C. Get it early enough in the fall if you grow it outside, so that it does not face night temperatures below 7 ° 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 air plant need the moderate level of humidity. Good aeration is required, the plant must dry quickly (in less than an hour).
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Tillandsia ehlersiana refer to 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.
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. It will prefer to be grown upside down, to limit the problems of stagnant water at the base of the leaves. If you prefer to cultivate the plant head up, turn it over for a few seconds to drain the excess water after each 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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