Description
About Tillandsia funckiana thick leaf closed form
Tillandsia funckiana looks unlike anything else in the Tillandsia genus. Instead of a rosette it grows as a slender creeping stem lined with fine needle-shaped leaves, so the whole plant resembles a silver-green bottlebrush.
It is native to Venezuela, where it grows on rock and cliff in dry valleys. The closed form is the tighter selection, with leaves held close against the stem rather than splaying outward.
The thick leaf designation matters too. These leaves are noticeably stouter than the ordinary type, which makes the plant more robust in cultivation and slower to dry out.
The flower is the payoff. Funckiana produces a brilliant scarlet bloom that is startlingly large against such a fine plant. We ship singles at 3 inches and up.
Growing Tillandsia funckiana thick leaf closed form: Care Guide
This plant grows on rock in a dry Venezuelan valley. Therefore it wants light and air, and it clumps rather than growing large.
- Light: Bright light, including direct morning sun. Good light keeps the leaves tight against the stem.
- Water: Soak 15 to 20 minutes every 7 to 10 days. The fine leaves dry faster than a broad rosette would.
- Drying: Shake it out well. Densely packed needle leaves hold water where they meet the stem.
- Airflow: Steady airflow, and more of it once plants start clustering.
- Temperature: Comfortable from 55°F to 95°F. Protect it from frost.
- Feeding: Feed monthly with diluted TillyBoost Fertilizer at quarter strength. Feeding drives both branching and flowering.
- Mounting: No soil. Glue it to cork or a small branch and let the stems creep and branch outward.
- Growth habit: It branches along the stem rather than pupping from a base. Leave it alone and it builds a colony.
Our Air Plant Care page covers basics, and more unusual forms sit in our Rare Air Plants.
