Tillandsia utriculata L.

Spreading airplant (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Poales > Bromeliaceae > Tillandsia

Characteristics

Plants single, flowering to 2 m. Stems short. Leaves 20--75, many-ranked, spreading and recurved, not twisted, gray-green (rarely variegated with linear cream stripes), to 1 m ´ 1.5--3.5 cm, finely appressed-scaly; sheath pale or slightly rust colored, ovate, not inflated, not forming pseudobulb, 6--15 cm wide; blade linear-triangular, leathery, channeled to involute, apex attenuate. Inflorescences: scape conspicuous, erect, 20--50 cm, 6--12 mm diam.; bracts densely imbricate proximally, often lax distally, erect to spreading, like leaves but gradually smaller; sheath of bracts narrowing gradually into blade; spikes very laxly 6--11-flowered, erect to spreading, 2--3-pinnate, linear, 15--40 ´ 10--15 cm, apex acute; branches 5--40 (rarely simple). Floral bracts widely spaced, erect, green or tinged purple, exposing most of rachis at anthesis, ovate, not keeled, 1.2--2 cm, leathery, venation slight, base visible at anthesis, apex acute, surfaces glabrous. Flowers 10--200, conspicuous; sepals free, elliptic, not keeled, 1.4--2 cm, thin-leathery, veined, apex obtuse, surfaces glabrous; corolla tubular, somewhat bilaterally symmetric, petals erect, slightly twisted, white, ligulate, to 4 cm; stamens exserted; stigma exserted, conduplicate-spiral. Fruits to 4 cm. n = 25 (Puerto Rico, West Indies).
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support epiphyte
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 1.3 - 1.45
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light 7-9
Soil humidity 3-7
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 10-11

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) 30 - 90
Germination temperacture (C°) 15 - 21
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Tillandsia utriculata habit picture by Trap Hers (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Tillandsia utriculata leaf picture by gilles DEHEPPE (cc-by-sa)
Tillandsia utriculata leaf picture by Radagast The Brown (cc-by-sa)
Tillandsia utriculata leaf picture by Trap Hers (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Tillandsia utriculata world distribution map, present in Bahamas, Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, United States of America, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:254406-2
WFO ID wfo-0000586439
COL ID 56YBT
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 630813
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Tillandsia utriculata f. variegata Allardtia potockii Tillandsia brevibracteata Tillandsia ehrenbergiana Tillandsia ehrenbergii Tillandsia lingulata Tillandsia nuttalliana Platystachys ehrenbergiana Platystachys ehrenbergii Platystachys utriculata Tillandsia ramosa Tillandsia ramosa Tillandsia sintenisii Vriesea utriculata Vriesea ramosa Tillandsia bartramii Anoplophytum flexuosum var. pallidum Tillandsia flexuosa var. pallida Tillandsia ramosa var. cingstuniensis Tillandsia utriculata subsp. utriculata Tillandsia utriculata

Lower taxons

Tillandsia utriculata subsp. pringlei