Description
About Tillandsia paleacea
Tillandsia paleacea is a stem-forming species of the coastal deserts of Peru and Chile, where it grows on bare sand and takes its water from sea fog. A thick coat of silver scales on the leaves absorbs the moisture, which is why it tolerates dry climates and infrequent watering.
The leaves are narrow, grey and recurving, stacked along a stem that lengthens with age. The plant reads as silver-white, and it is one of the palest species in the catalog.
It produces a beautiful three-petalled purple flower about the size of a pea, on a short spike, and a clump carries many at once.
We sell a regular form and a large form, which grows twice the size. The large form runs from 3-inch smalls through mediums and larges to 10-to-12-inch extra-larges, plus small clumps with three pups, medium clumps with seven or more plants and hanging clumps on wire as pictured.
Paleacea is the easy silver stem plant for dry shops. Our paleacea gigante and ssp. apurimacensis are separate listings; this is the standard species, at $2.
Growing Tillandsia paleacea: Care Guide
Fog desert means the plant expects mist, not rain. Give paleacea very bright light, constant airflow and light watering: mist it every few days, and give it a short soak every couple of weeks in dry weather. It is far more likely to rot than to dry out, so never let water sit between the stacked leaves; shake it and hang it after each soak. A clump on wire dries best hanging in moving air. Cool nights are welcome, and a cool, dry winter sets the spring flowers. In a humid climate, skip the soaks and mist only.
- Light: Very bright light with direct sun.
- Water: Mist every few days; soak 15 minutes every 10 to 14 days.
- Drying: Shake and hang. Stacked leaves hold water along the stem.
- Airflow: Strong airflow always.
- Temperature: 35°F to 95°F. It tolerates brief light frost.
- Feeding: Feed monthly with diluted TillyBoost Fertilizer at quarter strength.
- Mounting: Wire the base and hang it. Clumps ship on wire from our Air Plant Accessories.
- Pups: Along the stem. Leave them on for a clump.
Browse more Air Plants, or read our air plant care guide.
