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Thursday, April 15, 2010

Experimenting with Tillandsias

I took some tillandsias home because I wanted to get to know them a little better. Tillandsias are in botanical world what is know as epiphytes or air plants because, while some have roots, they do not need to be rooted in the ground. How cool is that? They can live in the air!!!!!!!
This actually is an ingenious strategy for how to live higher up in the tropical forest canopy where there is more sun and less competition. I think if one considered the forest like a city their strategy might be called infill. And they're not just exactly free floating away in the atmosphere, they generally tend to attach themselves to trees and branches.....If you've ever been to Hawaii, Mexico or other tropical places you've probably seen them in the wild. Anyway I digress....I took this one home.
And then it had little babies!!!!!!!!! This little guy literally dropped from the plant.

And then there were two.


They're so tiny....but I don't see any reason why they won't continue to grow.
I'm just going to dunk them in water once or twice a week like I do the other tillandsias.

And then I have an idea about maybe attaching them to rocks (instead of branches) -
sort of like a plant/ mineral hybrid.

I'm still playing around with that idea.



1 comment:

  1. Your tillandsia clump is gorgeous ! I am very happy to see interest in tillandsias picking up. Maybe it is just that I am noticing more about them because I am so into them these days.
    I use thrift store finds and repurposed jewellery to display my tillandsias- I just put together a pile of tillandsia "sculptures" last week for a craft sale in May in Vancouver, Canada. Here is a link to the photo set if anyone is looking for any ideas :
    http://picasaweb.google.com/thyrza/NewTillandsiaPlantscapesApril2010#
    In any case I think the concept of attaching air plants to rocks is quite awesome- There are so many beautiful rocks out there that the design possibilities are endless.

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