And finally, some Tillandsia species are available in small, medium, and large sizes, so take this into account as you plan your collection.
Now, here are 17 of our favorites and the key physical attributes of each individual species:
1. Aeranthos
Tillandsia aeranthos is a xeric variety with light green leaves that have a silvery cast.
The foliage is pointed and stiff, extending outward from the center to form a rosette. In the brightest light, it may have a purple hue.
As it grows, the rosette telescopes to heights of six to eight inches.
From this pale and unassuming foliage, stunning blossoms rise on elongated stems, or inflorescences.
With pink-purple bracts and a ring of blue-purple petals, they resemble tiny fuchsia flowers.
2. Albertiana
You’ll recognize that Tillandsia albertiana is a mesic type by its smooth, dark, fleshy leaves. They have a yellow-green hue that may darken toward a purple shade.
A key identifying characteristic is its “distichous” foliage pattern. Like that of a fir tree, the leaves are arranged in a repeating pattern of opposing rows.
Mature heights range from two to four inches.
The flowers of this variety have three bright red petals and may last a week.
3. Andreana
Like a small tuft of wispy grass, mesic Tillandsia andreana has narrow, fleshy leaves that are pale green and needle-like.
A delicate beauty, it dislikes temperature fluctuations more than most.
Heights range from four to six inches.
The reward for catering to its care is a blush of red followed by the emergence of an upright coral-red flower.
You can find T. andreana plants available from the Ragnaroc Store via Amazon.
4. Brachycaulos
The flat green leaves of xeric Tillandsia brachycaulos are a bright mid-green, and resemble those that emerge from the top of a pineapple.
The foliage may have a purple or red cast, and grows in a telescoping fashion to heights of eight to 10 inches.
Upon blooming, the foliage blushes magenta-red, and erect purple blossoms appear.
You can find two- to three-inch T. brachycaulos plants available from Garden in the City via Amazon.
5. Bulbosa
Mesic Tillandsia bulbosa has fleshy, dark green leaves that resemble the squiggly tentacles of an octopus.
They protrude from a base that resembles a layered onion, and may reach heights of 8 to 18 inches.
When flowering, the upper leaves turn red, and from their center, a small-statured red bract emerges that contains a purple-petaled blossom.
An unusual feature of this plant is that in the wild, it exists in symbiosis with ants that make their home in its hollow bulb-like stem bases.
Keep this in mind if you give your plants outdoor time in the summer months. They won’t hurt the plant, but may invade your home.
You can find five-packs of T. bulbosa plants available from Garden in the City via Amazon.
6. Butzii
Resembling a little squid, the distinguishing feature of mesic Tillandsia butzii is the mottling on its tentacle-like green leaves.
The foliage originates in a rounded bulb-like base and may grow up to 10 inches long.
Like T. bulbosa, it may host ants if placed outdoors.
Red inflorescences open to purple flowers.
You can find six- to nine-inch T. butzii plants available from Ragnaroc via Amazon.
7. Capitata
This type may resemble Tillandsia brachycaulos, with its spider plant-like leaves, but two differentiating characteristics are that this type is xeric, with the classic silvery cast trichomes make, and it blushes peach-pink just before blooming.
There are a number of T. capitata varieties available, ranging from green to purple. Heights may exceed 10 inches.
At flowering time, the center leaves blush peach before a purple flower emerges from the rosette center.
You can find T. capitata plants from Garden in the City via Amazon.
8. Caput medusae
A xeric variety, Tillandsia caput medusae has silver-gray trichomes on snake-like winding green leaves that resemble the hair of the mythical Medusa.
Growth is telescoping with laterally spreading foliage, and heights range from six to eight inches.
During flowering, you’ll see a pink blush at the center of the plant first, followed by red/yellow bracts that open to purple/white blossoms.
Like T. bulbosa, ants may make their home in the base of this plant, so be aware of this if you give it time outdoors.
You can find Medusa available from the Air Plant Shop Store via Amazon.
9. Chiapensis
Tillandsia chiapensis is a xeric species with rosettes of arching to curly, trichome-covered light-green foliage that may blush to purple.
Heights vary widely, from two to 12 inches.
When in bloom, pale pink quill-like spikes with purple flowers rise from the center.
10. Concolor
Xeric Tillandsia concolor boasts light green to yellow trichome-covered leaves that resemble those of a spider plant. They are noteworthy for their firmness.
Heights are between seven and nine inches.
At blooming time, the foliage blushes red and green quill-like spikes rise from the center to reveal magenta blooms.
More adaptable than some, it can handle bright light to shade.
You can find T. concolor in packs of three available from the Air Plant Shop Store via Amazon.
11. Cyanea
T. cyanea is a mesic variety with a cluster of medium green, spider-like leaves.
Heights range from eight to 10 inches.
Plants produce a hot pink quill-like spike with three-petaled purple-blue flowers on its edges.
This plant has roots that are able to take up nourishment, and unlike other species, it also thrives in potting soil.
You can find T. cyanea in four-inch pots available from Ragnaroc via Amazon.
12. Didisticha
Tillandsia didisticha is a xeric type with stiff, arching gray-green foliage in the shape of a loose rosette.
This is a large variety that can reach 12 inches tall.
The flower is a salmon-colored inflorescence with tiny white blossoms.
13. Funckiana
T. funckiana is a xeric type that looks like a cluster of light green balsam fir needles coated with a light dusting of snow.
Soft to the touch, it may wind or stretch upright, to a length of about eight inches.
Its flower is a long red tubular blossom that gracefully emerges at the tip of the narrow leaves.
14. Ionantha
The rosettes of xeric Tillandsia ionantha aka sky plants, start out silver-green and change in shade to take on red tones at bloom time.
This type has a petite stature, reaching mature heights of one to three inches.
When the tubular purple blossoms burst from the rosette’s red center, the effect of green, red, and purple creates a miniature horticultural tapestry.
Find T. ionatha from the Air Plant Shop Store available via Amazon.
Learn more about growing sky plants here.
15. Recurvata
Tillandsia recurvata, aka small ball moss, is a rounded xeric type with narrow silver-green leaves that resemble the twigs in an intricate bird’s nest.
In the brightest light, the foliage may have a reddish cast.
Mature heights reach six to 12 inches.
The flower is a rather nondescript spike of green to red, on a green inflorescence.
16. Usneoides
Also known as Spanish moss, Tillandsia usneoides is a xeric variety that is unique in that it grows in a downward direction, clinging and hanging from host surfaces in the wild.
Like a mass of tangled gray-green hair, foliage may exceed 20 feet in length.
The flowers are brown and nondescript, but they have a pleasant nighttime fragrance.
17. Xerographica
With its trichome-covered spring green foliage, xeric Tillandsia xerographica is one of the largest, sturdiest, longest living air plants.
Its wide leaves are deeply curled in a compact, rounded form.
It’s a pleasant home companion that can withstand both direct and indirect sunlight, sometimes growing as large as three feet wide and twenty-four inches tall over a lifetime of twenty years or more.
Flowering consists of a green inflorescence up to 15 inches tall, with red and green coloration.
Learn more about growing xerographica air plants here.
Get Creative with Collectible Tillandsia
Tillandsia are very versatile plants. In USDA Hardiness Zones 8 to 11, they grow well outdoors, and in all zones, they make easy-care houseplants.
In addition, with a little dab of floral glue, available from Amazon, they make eclectic wearable accessories and gift-wrapping decorations. And while they don’t require soil, they do need water, so keep that in mind as you imagine the possibilities.
And finally, plants grown indoors don’t get the nutrients they would get if they were in their natural habitat. You can provide supplemental nutrition with fertilizer.
A product you may like is this air plant fertilizer from Cute Farms via Amazon. Mix it per package instructions, for a monthly dunk or soak.
Choose your favorites and get started. There are so many to collect, I know you’re going to have fun!
And for more information about growing air plants and epiphytes, add these to your reading list next:
