Species library › Tillandsia › Tillandsia secunda
Other Little published: much of this is inferred from related species

Tillandsia secunda

A large rosette Tillandsia endemic to the dry inter-Andean valleys of Ecuador, recorded around Quito, Ambato and the Oña valley at about 1800–2300 m. It grows in dry montane scrub, on slopes and roadcuts and sometimes on trees, so it needs strong light, a clear day-night swing and a medium that drains instantly.

Tillandsia secunda
Photo: Michael Wolf (Webseite), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night A clear drop at nightTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Labels and observations describe dry montane scrub (matorral seco montano), a dry roadcut at 1900 m and scrub on Cerro Catequilla north of Quito; one observer notes it also grows on trees. It is mainly a plant of open, rocky, dry slopes.

Wild specimens and observations fall between about 1770 and 2400 m; one specimen from the Oña to Saraguro road is labelled 1000 m, which is probably an error or a lower outlier.

Ecuador

🔒 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

Grow Tillandsia secunda? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

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.