Description
About Tillandsia cauligera white form type 2
Tillandsia cauligera is named for how it grows. The Latin root means stem-bearing, and unlike most rosette species it builds a woody trunk and carries its leaves along it.
This is the white form, type 2, selected for the palest trichome coat we grow. The scaling is dense enough that mature plants read close to true white rather than grey.
It comes from the dry western slopes of the Peruvian Andes, growing on rock and steep scree. Plants there are exposed to full sun and constant wind, which is exactly what produces the heavy scaling.
Three sizes are available from 5 inches upward. Older plants lean and curve as the stem lengthens, which gives them a sculptural quality worth displaying on their own.
Growing Tillandsia cauligera white form type 2: Care Guide
Heavy scaling and Andean scree mean a plant that wants sun and wind. Therefore keep the watering light.
- Light: Very high light, including direct sun. Strong light is what keeps the coat white and the stem compact.
- Water: Soak 20 minutes every 12 to 14 days. It is thoroughly drought hardy.
- Drying: Invert and shake. Water collects where the leaf bases wrap around the stem.
- Airflow: Strong airflow at all times, matching the windy habitat.
- Temperature: Cold tolerant, from 40°F to 90°F. Cool nights are welcome.
- Feeding: Feed monthly through the growing season with diluted TillyBoost Fertilizer at quarter strength.
- Mounting: No soil. Wire it upright so the stem can build, and expect to re-mount as it lengthens.
- Pups: Offsets form along the stem as well as at the base. Leave them to build a colony, or separate at one third size.
Our Air Plant Care page has the fundamentals, and more Peruvian species sit in our Rare Air Plants.
