Tillandsias, or Tillies as I like to call them, have two methods of reproduction. One is the usual method, with flowers and seeds (apomictic or not, I do not know!). Here you see a Tillandsia juncea, a large (30-40cm) Florida native, in the seed-throwing phase of its life:
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| Tillandsia juncea with seed pods, MR 2013 |
T. juncea's flowering phase lasts a long time. The inflorescence takes several months to grow and the blooms last for several weeks in early summer (for Zone 9b). The seeds take several months to ripen, then the pods burst in fall and the seeds fly everywhere. You can see one flying away in the upper right corner of the photograph.
But Tillies also reproduce asexually, by pupping, or offsetting. Pups can grow from almost anywhere on the mother plant. For T. juncea and T. ionantha (a petite Central American Tillie), multiple pups grow from the base. They can stay attached to the mother plant more or less permanently, or drop off and grow in a new spot. Here you can see a T. juncea with pups (right) and T. ionantha (left), with pups growing from the base of the mother plant:
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| Tillandsias with Pups Growing From the Base of the Mother Plants, MR 2013 |
There are many other styles of offsets, which I'll be sharing over the course of time....
Hi Marla,
ReplyDeleteCheck out Etsy for a new way to mount tillies. See the "Noemiah" store and maybe you will be surprised (even though the plant they show is not a tilly, tillies would certainly work for this application).
I continue to enjoy your posts.
Gail
Are those Haworthias or aloes on top of that model's head?? No, I could not believe it, but I did go on record a while ago as saying, "Tillies are the future!"
ReplyDeleteI think it was an Haworthia even though the site said an aloe. I would like to use a curly xerographica or medusa to create an interesting ornament or hair "extension" and wear it to the symphony. My hair is grey and it would work and would be strange. I could also see attaching small tillies to hair clips or bands. Perhaps a tiara of tillie or earrings of tiny tillies?. When not in use just hang on a cork bark earring holder and return to the greenhouse or sunny window. Just have to remember to get rinse bugs off before use. I think this fits right in with your idea of tillie curtains.
ReplyDeleteThere are three Tillies I can think of that would be good for evening hair extensions---T. magnusiana, the soft and fuzzy furball Tillie. Then there is the T. caput medusae, but I'm having a hard time thinking of how you'd attach it. Maybe T. butzii would be easier, and it's smaller with more flexible tentacles. The last would be a sweet little T. filifolia, several could be worn in a group. I'm not sure about how one would attach xerographica--it's big and relatively heavy, so it would really need to be anchored in there. If it were to fall, it has fairly brittle leaves, so it would be damaged. But if you could figure out a way to do it, it would be magnificent!
DeleteFor a scary look, T. ixioides would work well, but the leaves are soooo sharp!
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DeleteYour mention of T.ixioides suggests a halloween hairdo, perhaps Mother Nature or Queen of the Jungle. (Deleted the first for spelling).
ReplyDeleteGail, if we start seeing Tillandsias on the catwalks next season, we'll know we started it here. If so, I hope we get a percentage.... If you wear some, be sure to have someone take a photo and I will surely post it on this blog! Also, no worries about bugs- Tillies are basically pest-free. So wear without worry. Reminds me of a song-- "If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some Tillies in your hair...."
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