Tillandsia usneoides - Xtra-Large

Tillandsia usneoides – belongs to the Bromeliad family and originally comes from the southern USA and South America. There it grows on trees and power lines. In Germany, it is also known as "Louisiana Moss", "Spanish Moss" or "Old Man's Beard". According to a Native American legend, Louisiana moss is the hair of a princess who was killed by enemies on her wedding day. The grieving groom is said to have cut it off and hung it in a tree, the wind carried the hair away and thus spread it across the entire land.

Appearance

Tillandsia usneoides – Xtra-Large forms long, thread-like, grey shoots with scaly leaves and has inconspicuous green flowers. It can take several years for the Tillandsia to bloom.

Care

Tillandsia usneoides – Xtra-Large requires a sunny, bright location and loves high humidity and air movement. It is best to submerge the Tillandsia in rainwater once a week or every other week, putting the entire plant in the water and then letting it dry again. Make sure that no water ever remains in the leaf rosette and add suitable fertiliser every other time in summer. Another way to water the Tillandsia is to spray it with water several times a week. If no rainwater is available, either let tap water stand overnight in a bowl or mix it with distilled water, which will prevent the Tillandsia from calcifying.

Name: Tillandsia usneoides or also known as Dendropogon usneoides, Renealmia usneoides, Strepsia usneoides, Tillandsia crinita, Tillandsia filiformis and Tillandsia trichoides.

Family: Bromeliaceae

Origin: Tillandsia usneoides originally comes from the United States and South America, its native range extends from the southern USA to Argentina and Chile.

Appearance

Colour: Grey-green filamentous shoots with scaly leaves.

Bloom: Inconspicuous, greenish flowers that are often not recognised as flowers.

Size: at least 70cm long

Care

Location: Tillandsia usneoides – Xtra-Large requires a sunny, bright location with high humidity. It is not suitable for the garden.

Watering: It is best to submerge the Tillandsia in rainwater every two weeks and then let it dry again, or spray it with water several times a week. Make sure that no water ever remains in the leaves.

Substrate: Tillandsias should not be placed in moist soil; mineral substrate, sand or even no substrate is more suitable. Propagation: Tillandsias can be propagated by pollination and seed formation, as they are not self-fertilising, the pollen must be transferred from another plant of the same species with a fine brush. Offshoot formation is the second propagation method for Tillandsias. Tillandsias often form offshoots, i.e. new plants, on the stem of the mother plant, this is especially necessary because the mother plant dies after flowering.

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Note: Our Tillandsias all come from greenhouse cultivation and not from wild stocks!

Note: Sizes and shapes can vary for plants where each plant is unique. This is especially true in winter or when availability is low. The colouring also varies depending on the season.