Species library β€Ί Tillandsia β€Ί Tillandsia erubescens
Other Partly documented

Tillandsia erubescens

Tillandsia erubescens is a small grey, scurfy atmospheric Tillandsia endemic to Mexico, found from Chihuahua to Oaxaca on trees in the highland plateau and sierras. It forms clumps of narrow, silvery leaves and produces a short spike with pinkish-red bracts and violet flowers. It wants bright light, good air movement, cool nights and a distinct drier winter.

Tillandsia erubescens
Photo: Francisco Emilio RoldΓ‘n Velasco, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

An epiphyte of the Mexican highlands; GBIF records cluster in the central and northern plateau states (Chihuahua, Durango, Jalisco, Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Mexico state, Tlaxcala). Those localities are dominated by oak and pine-oak woodland, where small grey Tillandsias typically grow on the outer branches in bright, airy conditions. Specific host and forest-type notes were not found in the records examined.

The localities (Toluca, Tlaxcala, the Sierra Madre Occidental in Chihuahua and Durango) lie mostly between about 1,800 and 2,800 m; this is inferred from the places, as the records seen carry no elevation.

Mexico

πŸ”’ Growing it like that

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

βœ“ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
βœ“ Humidity band, and how to hold it
βœ“ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
βœ“ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
βœ“ Substrate and airflow
βœ“ 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 4.0 licence, unmodified.