Species · genus Tillandsia · Bromeliaceae

Air Plant

Tillandsia aeranthos (Loisel.) Desf.

Also known as: Carnation of the Air

Growth habit

epiphyte or lithophyte

Native range

Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Paraguay, Uruguay

Reference · T. aeranthos

Cultivars of T. aeranthos

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under T. aeranthos yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Tillandsia aeranthos is an air plant native to subtropical South America, growing epiphytically or on rock with no soil and roots that mainly anchor rather than feed. Mist or soak it, then let it dry fully in good airflow before watering again — water when the leaves feel dry and the plant has had time to drain, never while it sits damp at the base, which causes rot. Give it a bright spot out of harsh direct midday sun.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 10 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

10–30 °C

Soil mix

None — mounted or displayed bare as an air plant

Propagation

Separation of offset pups from the mother plant

Fertilizing

Dilute bromeliad or air-plant feed misted monthly

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Blooms pink bracts with blue flowers when mature

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Air Plant yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.