Tillandsia latifolia is endemic to Ecuador and Peru. It grows on sand and rocks and as an epiphyte on shrubs in a variety of arid and semi arid habitats, from sea level to 3500 m above sea level. It occurs in abundance on dunes in coastal deserts, on roadsides, on plains, on bluffs, in deciduous / semideciduous forest, in dry scrub, in dry savanna like vegetation, on stony slopes and hanging on dry rocks.
Tillandsia latifolia, also called as Platystachys latifolia, Tillandsia divaricata, Tillandsia minor, Tillandsia kunthiana, Platystachys kunthiana, Tillandsia grisea, Tillandsia oxysepala, Tillandsia gayi, Tillandsia murorum, is a species of the genus Tillandsia. This species was described by Franz Julius Ferdinand Meyen in 1834.
IDENTIFY TILLANDSIA LATIFOLIA AIR PLANT
Tillandsia latifolia is endemic to Ecuador and Peru. It grows on sand and rocks and as an epiphyte on shrubs in a variety of arid and semi arid habitats, from sea level to 3500 m above sea level. It occurs in abundance on dunes in coastal deserts, on roadsides, on plains, on bluffs, in deciduous / semideciduous forest, in dry scrub, in dry savanna like vegetation, on stony slopes and hanging on dry rocks.
It is a usually caulescent fast-growing, quickly forming long and branched stems that can take root in the soil. It is a very variable species and one thus distinguishes many varieties (latifolia, divaricata, major or leucophylla for the most known). It has coriaceous, numerous leaves that arranged in a helix along the stem. The plant can sometimes have a rosette with very tight leaves. The limb is triangular. The sheaths are not very distinct, slightly more scaly than the blade.
This air plant bloom from the robust, distinct, usually bipinnate, sometimes simple inflorescence. The ears are more or less tight. The bracts of the flowering stem are large, imbricate, very scaly. They look a bit like leaves and are reddish. The primary bracts are shorter, very scaly and red. The floral bracts are slightly scaly and red too. This species often produces discards at the base or top of the inflorescence. The non-fragrant flowers are tubular, 2 to 3 cm long, violets. The stamens are included.
TILLANDSIA LATIFOLIA 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 latifolia requires good brightness. It likes the direct sun, even in summer (it is still preferable in this case to wait until the plant is adult). Place the plant very close to a window indoors in the winter and preferably out in the summer sun.
Temperature:
The required temperature ranging from 10 to 32°C. It is a cold resistant species. It tolerates indeed 0 ° C on short periods (dry of course) and enjoys taking the cool (around 10 ° C) at night, more reason to grow outdoors in the summer. In autumn wait for temperatures drop to 3 ° C at the night before returning the plant indoor.
Humidity:
This air plant need the weak level of humidity. Good aeration is required, the plant must dry quickly (in less than an hour).
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Tillandsia latifolia can be grow suspended, or 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.
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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