Featured Plant of the Week (Tillandsia dyeriana)

Tillandsia dyeriana

Information is sparse about Tillandsia dyeriana. It's a rare member of the Bromeliad family, and one of about 600 species in the Tillandsia genus. Native only to the Northwestern mangrove forests of Ecuador, Tillandsia dyeriana is most at home in tropical or subtropical environments. Like other members of the Bromeliad family, it has a rosette of upright foliage at its base. From the center, a brightly colored flower spike grows up, easily reaching eighteen inches tall. The flowers are usually a bright orange, or near-white.

Like most Tillandsia, dyeriana is what botanists call an epiphyte, which means that it actually grows on other plants such as a tree. It is not a parasite though, as it doesn't acquire nutrition or food from its host tree. The plant gains the advantage of altitude by growing on its larger hosts, since the dense canopy of a rainforest blocks out most light to the ground. It's unclear if the host plant gains anything by the presence of an epiphyte like Tillandsia dyeriana.

Most epiphytes don't actually acquire much nutrition with their roots, and use them to get some form of support by clinging to their hosts. Instead, they absorb nutrients through the surfaces of their leaves straight from the air, using tiny structures called trichomes. You can think of trichomes as root hairs, only the ones on Tillandsia dyeriana appear to be more or less invisible to the naked eye.

Sadly, Tillandsia dyeriana's very limited native habitat is being destroyed, as oil exploitation and logging has devastated the Ecuadorian rainforests. This has resulted in Tillandsia dyeriana being put on the IUCN's (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List, which is the most comprehensive inventory of the global status of plants and animals. The IUCN lists Tillandsia dyeriana as being ‘Critically Endangered', which means the plant's population in the wild is expected to crash more than 80% over the next three generations of its propagation. Fortunately, it's widely cultivated by growers, but if something is not done to halt the destruction of its habitat, Tillandsia dyeriana will become completely extinct in the wild.

Caring for Tillandsia dyeriana is not too difficult, and it seems to be fine if neglected from time to time. The most important point is to make sure it lives in a warm place with a bright source of indirect light. Another detail is that since Tillandsia is an epiphyte, it shouldn't be potted in traditional soils and mediums. Dyeriana is more suited to pots than most of its relatives, but its best to use an orchid mix or some other similar medium to plant it. This potting mix should be kept moist too, though never soggy.

Tillandsia dyeriana is available now at BloomRite® Gardens in 4" pots for $5.95 each.