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| T. magnusiana |
And who greeted me on my lawn yesterday but some super guests, the Ibis Family! A little coterie from Ancient Egypt having a snack on my lawn.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Tillandsia Magnusiana, and Some Guests!
I've been adding to my Tillandsia collection, which now covers a small tabletop. Oh well, who needs tablespace, right? I'm learning more about how these remarkable epiphytes work, and it's much stranger than I supposed. More on the science of Tillies in later posts, I haven't had enough coffee this morning to manage it at the moment. This is my newest addition, Tillandsia magnusiana:
This Tillandsia hails from Mexico and Honduras, and has a penchant for hanging out in oak trees. It has exceptionally soft, silvery "fur", which are really shield-like, gated contraptions for capturing and channeling water. No roots necessary! It's so soft, it's practically pettable. It needs watering every other day, just a good soak in acidified water, and monthly orchid fertilizer. It likes moderate, glowing light, nothing harsh.
And who greeted me on my lawn yesterday but some super guests, the Ibis Family! A little coterie from Ancient Egypt having a snack on my lawn.
And who greeted me on my lawn yesterday but some super guests, the Ibis Family! A little coterie from Ancient Egypt having a snack on my lawn.
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Tillandsia are very cool, and quickly becoming one of my favourite non-Lithops plants. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, they are super cool, I'm getting more intrigued with them as I read more about them. Some species are native here, also, so that's fun to see them out in the wild.
ReplyDeleteYes, I just googled and realised that some Spanish moss/ Old Man's beard growing on frontyard trees in our neighbourhood are Tillandsia as well. Quite a big genus. I think I've fallen in love with a new plant again! :)
DeleteI was surprised how big a group they are, also. I'm having a lot of fun studying!
DeleteCheck this out Marla! :)
Deletehttp://greeninemotion.blogspot.com.au/2010/05/designing-with-tillandsia-usneoides.html
That is incredibly beautiful! I'd love to have a cup of tea under that canopy! What a super idea. Thanks for the heads-up.
DeleteLike the look of that new one Marla. Nice info on the growing needs. LT
ReplyDeleteThank you. There are a lot of "regimens" out there for watering Tillies, from twice-a-day mistings to three-times-a-month 12-hour soaks in a bucket! Those are too extreme for me, so I've found short soaks every other day work for most Tillies, most of the time. Each species is a little different, so I'm trying to learn!
DeleteYear ago we used to find them everywhere in FL., spanish moss of course and other T's, more or less the same shape as the T. magnusiana pictured. The big spectacular tillandsias, like the "Silver King", etc. (that are now available in almost every grocery store), were expensive and extremely hard to find while the wild ones were on every tree. By the way, what luck to get such a nice photo of that flock! Gail
ReplyDeleteInland, there are quite a few Tillies living on the trees, particularly the oak trees. Here on the coast, it's not very common to see them. I wonder what it is about the oak that they like so much?? And I just read that our ibis population is only about 10% of what it was in the 1940s. Can you imagine so many ibises? Wow!
ReplyDeleteWe lived in a place called Indiatlantic Beach on the east coast of Fl. in the 1960's. At that time there were a very few T's to be seen by the ocean but many living in the west side forests across the Indian River (Melbourne). I haven't even visited Florida for 22 years, so I imagine things have changed a lot.
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