Description
About Tillandsia paleacea apurimacensis
Tillandsia paleacea ssp. apurimacensis is a subspecies of Tillandsia paleacea from the Apurímac region of Peru, where it grows at 2,000 to 2,500 metres. It was sold for years under the name Tillandsia streptocarpa ‘mini’, and many growers still know it that way.
It differs from typical paleacea in its small silvery-white leaves, which are slightly wider and less scurfy. They are flexible and recurve gracefully, and they stack along a short stem into tight, attractive clumps.
The bloom is a short, simple spike with a single pale green or pinkish bract. Purple or bluish three-petalled flowers with a white base open from it, and a clump carries many spikes at once.
Unlike streptocarpa, it is completely odourless. What it lacks in scent it makes up in the sheer number of flowers.
We sell it as small clumps of two or more plants at $20. It clumps heavily, so a small clump becomes a ball in a few seasons.
Growing Tillandsia paleacea apurimacensis: Care Guide
High Andean valleys mean strong light, cool nights and thin, dry air. This subspecies is an easy grower in bright, indirect or filtered light, and it flowers readily when the light is good. Keep the soaks short and the drying fast, because a dense clump traps water between the stems and stays damp in the middle long after the outside looks dry. Hang it rather than laying it flat, and shake it from several angles after each soak. Cool winter nights are welcome and set the spring flush of spikes.
- Light: Bright filtered light with some direct sun.
- Water: Soak 15 minutes every 10 to 14 days.
- Drying: Shake hard from several angles. Hang clumps to drain.
- Airflow: Strong airflow for clumps.
- Temperature: 35°F to 95°F. Cool nights encourage bloom.
- Feeding: Feed monthly with diluted TillyBoost Fertilizer at quarter strength.
- Mounting: Wire the clump and hang it. Never divide a good ball.
- Pups: Constant. Clumps double within a couple of seasons.
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