Tillandsia variabilis
A green-leaved, soft-textured epiphytic Tillandsia that grows on tree branches in moist forests from Mexico and southern Florida through the West Indies and Central America to Colombia, Venezuela and Bolivia. Rosettes reach about 40 cm and bear lavender-blue flowers. Unlike the grey, heavily scaled air plants, it wants humid air and regular water, like a mesic bromeliad.
Where it grows wild
An epiphyte in the branches of trees in moist tropical and subtropical forests, including lowland rainforest, swamp and hammock forest in Florida and moist forests on hills. Its soft, sparsely scaled leaves suggest humid, partly shaded perches rather than exposed, sun-baked twigs.
Wild records run mostly from sea level to about 1,500 m, with a median of about 415 m. A few records reach 3,700 m, which is probably an error or a misidentification.
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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 Public domain licence, unmodified.