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Tillandsia baileyi

Bailey's ball moss

Bailey's ball moss or the reflexed airplant is a small, grey, pseudobulbous air plant from the Gulf coastal plain of southern Texas and Tamaulipas, Mexico. It grows on the branches of live oak and Texas ebony in a hot, semi-arid subtropical climate, and flowers with pink bracts and violet flowers in spring. It is easy to mount and wants bright light, strong airflow and quick-drying waterings.

Tillandsia baileyi
Photo: Michael Wolf (Webseite), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

Epiphytic on trees in the Tamaulipan thornscrub and live-oak mottes of the lower Gulf coastal plain, with southern live oak (Quercus virginiana) and Texas ebony (Ebenopsis ebano) the preferred hosts. It sits on branches in partly open canopies, exposed to bright light, sea breezes and regular night dew.

Lowland plant of the coastal plain, from near sea level to a few hundred metres. Our measured data file had no usable wild records.

USA: southern Texas (Kingsville southwards through the Rio Grande Valley)Mexico: Tamaulipas, south to around Tampico

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.