NORTHERN NEEDLELEAF (Tillandsia sp. likely balbisiana)

WHAT FLORIDA NATIVE PLANT IS BLOOMING TODAY?: NORTHERN NEEDLELEAF (Tillandsia sp. likely balbisiana)

Threatened-State

Hanging out in my live oak. I only started finding this type of airplant in 2018. Prior to that I had 3 species and I suspect that this blew in with hurricane Matthew or Irma. Now all four are residents of the live oak.

This is one of Florida’s native Bromeliads. Commonly called airplants because they are epiphytic (they live on other plants but do not take any food from them so they are not parasitic).

Learn: http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/frank/savebromeliads/floridas-bromeliads/Tillandsia-balbisiana.html

Learn more: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw205

My take: https://floridawildlifegardentails.wordpress.com/2019/01/21/when-plants-hang-out/

Native American Ethnobotany for this genus: http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=Tillandsia

Where does it grow in Florida?: https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?id=733

###