Description
About Tillandsia tricholepis closed form
Tillandsia tricholepis looks less like an air plant than like a small green moss. Fine needle leaves cover a slender branching stem, and the whole plant grows into a tangled mass rather than a rosette.
This is the closed form, selected for leaves held tight against the stem instead of splaying outward. That gives the plant a denser, more defined outline and makes each branch read as a distinct stem.
Plants ship at around 2 inches long with branches already forming. It grows by extending and dividing, so a single piece steadily becomes a colony.
Tiny yellow flowers appear at the branch tips. The species comes from dry country across Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil and northern Argentina, and it is very tolerant of neglect.
Growing Tillandsia tricholepis closed form: Care Guide
Fine leaves on thin stems dry very quickly. Therefore water little and often rather than deeply.
- Light: Bright light with direct morning sun. Good light keeps the branching tight.
- Water: Soak 10 minutes weekly, or mist several times a week instead.
- Drying: Shake it out. Dense tangled growth holds water where the branches cross.
- Airflow: Steady airflow, and more as the mass thickens.
- Temperature: Cold hardy, from 35°F to 90°F.
- Feeding: Feed monthly with heavily diluted TillyBoost Fertilizer. Small plants need very little.
- Mounting: No soil. Glue it to cork or a twig and let it branch outward on its own.
- Growth habit: It branches rather than pupping from a base. Leave it alone and it builds a colony.
See our Air Plant Care page, or browse our Rare Air Plants for more miniatures.
