Species in Tillandsia

A saxicolous or epiphytic species endemic to Peru. It forms a rosette of grayish-green leaves covered in trichomes. The inflorescence is typically simple or digitately compound with rose-colored floral bracts.

A large, impressive species native to Mexico. It features wide, green leaves and produces a tall, branched inflorescence with distinctive salmon-colored bracts.

A saxicolous species endemic to Bolivia, specifically around Samaipata. It has soft, gray-green leaves and produces a simple or few-branched inflorescence with white flowers.

A large, tank-type species native to Colombia. It has dark, maroon-tinged leaves and a unique pendulous inflorescence. It is adapted to cool, humid cloud forest environments.

A saxicolous or epiphytic species from Mexico. It forms a rosette of stiff, channeled leaves. The inflorescence usually exceeds the leaves.

A high-elevation tank bromeliad found in the Andes. It has a robust rosette and a branched inflorescence. Adapted to cool, misty habitats.

A Mexican species featuring a somewhat bulbous base and soft, spreading leaves. It produces a distinctive inflorescence with broad floral bracts.

A xerophytic species from Peru, often growing on rocks or sand. It has stiff, gray leaves and can be caulescent. Similar in appearance to Tillandsia latifolia.

A saxicolous species endemic to Mexico. It features curved, gray-lepidote leaves forming a rosette. The inflorescence typically has pinkish bracts.

A widely distributed, hardy species. It usually forms clumps of stiff, thin, gray leaves. Distinguished by its yellow flower petals and red floral bracts.

Occurs in Colombia and Venezuela, growing as an epiphyte in forest between 1200 and 2805 m. The type specimen was collected in Magdalena, Colombia.

Tillandsia secunda is distributed in Ecuador, growing terrestrially and on rocks and cliffs at elevations of 2000 to 3500 m. A variety of the species is also known.

This species is native to Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras, growing as an epiphyte in Pinus and Quercus woodland at elevations of 270 to 2100 meters.

Widely distributed from Florida in the United States through the Greater Antilles, Mexico, northern South America and Brazil, growing as an epiphyte from sea level to 800 m. The type specimen came from Jamaica.

Native to the state of Oaxaca in Mexico, where it grows in moist cloud forest at elevations of 2,000 to 2,300 m. The type collection was made on the summit of the Sierra de Juarez.

A species endemic to Ecuador, growing in forest at elevations of 2,900 to 3,500 m. The type material was collected in the valley of Nanegal in Pichincha.

A mesic, tank-forming species in subgenus Allardtia, described by L.B. Smith in 1961. The rosette produces soft, green leaves with a reddish flush, resembling a small Neoregelia in overall form. The inflorescence is notably elongated, reaching up to approximately 1.2 m in length, with red bracts and purple flowers. The fertile portion is reduced to approximately one-tenth of the total inflorescence length. Adventitious plantlets (offsets) develop at intervals along the inflorescence stalk, and the lower fertile branches curve backward to form hook-like structures. These hooks attach to branches in the host tree canopy, enabling the species to propagate vegetatively and spread through the crown — a strategy described as "climbing." This reproductive mechanism is distinctive within the genus Tillandsia.

Native to Bolivia, where it grows both on rocks and as an epiphyte at elevations of 950 to 3550 m. The type specimen was collected at Sorata in La Paz.

This species is distributed in Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, Brazil, growing as an epiphyte at elevations of 0 to 300 m.

A saxicolous or epiphytic species native to Honduras and Guatemala. It forms a rosette of gray-green leaves and produces a long, pendulous inflorescence with striking red or pink bracts.

An epiphytic species found in Mexico and Honduras. It features narrow, green to gray-green leaves and a flattened inflorescence. It usually grows in pine-oak forests.

A caulescent, saxicolous species endemic to the high Andes of Peru. Resembling T. tectorum, it has fuzzy, trichome-covered leaves that grow in a star-like formation along the stem.

A natural hybrid between T. complanata and T. stenoura, described in 2024. It is a large epiphyte found in the high Andes of Ecuador, combining features of both parents.

A large, robust species native to the Andes. It forms a large rosette and produces a tall inflorescence with lavender flowers. It is adapted to cool, wet tropical environments.

An epiphytic species found in the cloud forests of Colombia and Venezuela. It forms a rosette of flexible leaves and produces a compact, globose inflorescence with pink bracts.

A mesic species native to Guatemala and Mexico. It features a bulbous base and soft green leaves. The inflorescence has red bracts and violet petals.

A caulescent, xeric species from Peru and Ecuador. It has soft, silvery-gray leaves and produces fragrant white flowers with purple edges. Often grows in large clumps.

A widely distributed species in South America. The leaves are covered in trichomes and often recurve or curl. It produces fragrant blue or purple flowers.

Native to Mexico and Central America, this species features a prominent bulbous base and broad, trichome-covered leaves. The leaves curl tightly when dry, acting as a drought indicator. It is a robust grower that can reach over 30 cm in diameter.

A highly adaptable and popular air plant with narrow triangular leaves forming thick rosettes. Produces bright red or rose bloom spikes with blue-purple flowers. One of the most widely cultivated Tillandsia species.

Native to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, growing on steep rock faces at elevations of 50 to 500 m. The specific epithet honors the Brazilian botanist D. Sucre.

Native to Pichincha in Ecuador, where it grows on cliffs and in forests at 2000 to 2900 m. The type specimen was collected on the western slopes of Mount Pichincha.

Native to the State of Mexico in central Mexico, occurring at around 1700 m.