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

Tillandsia seleriana

A silvery, fuzzy epiphytic Tillandsia of southern Mexico and Central America, described by Mez in 1902. It forms a swollen, bulb-like rosette with thick, densely scaled leaves, and it is widely grown and hybridised, with several named cultivars such as 'Purple Passion'. It needs bright light, good airflow and quick drying, because water trapped in the bulbous base rots it.

Tillandsia seleriana
Photo: Timm Stolten, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

Epiphytic on trees in montane forest of southern Mexico and Central America, including the cloud and pine–oak forests of Montecristo National Park in El Salvador. The swollen base and hollow leaf sheaths are typical of the ant-house tillandsias and are often occupied by ants in the wild.

GBIF records with an elevation mostly lie between about 700 and 2,000 m.

Mexico (south)GuatemalaEl SalvadorHondurasNicaragua

🔒 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.