Description
About Tillandsia flabellata Green
Tillandsia flabellata takes its name from the Latin for fan, and the reference is to the flower rather than the leaves. At bloom it sends up several spikes at once, spreading outward in a fan above the foliage.
This is the green form, the plain-leaved selection. Foliage stays clean green year round rather than flushing red, which makes the spikes read more sharply against it.
The rosette grows upright and narrow, with leaf bases packed tightly together. That structure forms a deep central well, because flabellata is a tank type and holds its water in the middle of the plant.
It comes from Guatemala and southern Mexico. Multiple spikes from a single inexpensive plant make it one of the better value flowering lines we carry.
Growing Tillandsia flabellata Green: Care Guide
The deep upright cup is the defining feature. Therefore fill it and leave it filled.
- Light: Bright indirect light. Green foliage burns in hard afternoon sun, so keep it out of direct exposure.
- Water: Keep the central well filled. The upright form holds a deeper reservoir than most tank Tillandsias.
- Flushing: Empty and refill weekly. A deeper cup goes stagnant faster if it is left standing.
- Do not invert: Never shake it out. Draining the well is the opposite of what this plant wants.
- Airflow: Moderate airflow. It handles humidity comfortably.
- Temperature: Comfortable from 60°F to 95°F. Protect from frost.
- Feeding: Add diluted TillyBoost Fertilizer at quarter strength straight to the cup water each month. Fed plants throw more spikes.
- Mounting: No soil. Mount strictly upright, because a tilted plant loses its reservoir.
- Pups: Offsets follow bloom. Separate at one third size, or leave them to form a colony.
See our Bromeliads for other tank types, our Air Plant Care page for basics, or our Rare Air Plants for the red giant form.
