Description
About Tillandsia latifolia vivipara
Tillandsia latifolia vivipara does something almost no other air plant does. Instead of setting seed, it grows fully formed baby plants directly on its flower spike, and those plantlets root and grow while still attached to the parent.
That is what vivipara means. The behaviour is a survival strategy from the Peruvian coastal desert, where Tillandsia latifolia lives on fog rather than rain and seed has poor odds of establishing.
For a grower it is close to free stock. A single flowering plant can hand you half a dozen ready-made offsets, and they arrive at a usable size rather than as seedlings.
The plant itself is a compact silver rosette with stiff, upright leaves. We offer three sizes, from 3 inches through to 6 inches and up.
Growing Tillandsia latifolia vivipara: Care Guide
Coastal desert origins mean this plant expects fog and sun rather than rainfall. Therefore keep it bright and on the dry side.
- Light: Very high light. It grows fully exposed in habitat, and strong light drives the flowering that produces your plantlets.
- Water: Soak 20 minutes every 12 to 14 days, or mist more often instead. It is exceptionally drought tolerant.
- Drying: Invert and shake. The upright leaf bases cup water against the stem.
- Airflow: Strong airflow at all times. Coastal habitat means constant wind.
- Temperature: Comfortable from 45°F to 95°F, and cool damp nights suit it.
- Feeding: Feed monthly through spring and summer with diluted TillyBoost Fertilizer. Well-fed plants throw more plantlets per spike.
- Mounting: No soil. Mount upright on wood or rock.
- Plantlets: Leave them on the spike until they are roughly one third the size of the parent, then twist them free.
See our Air Plant Care page, or browse our Rare Air Plants for more Peruvian forms.
