Bromeliaceae FAMILY

Tillandsia usneoides

Edibility

0/5

Medicinal

0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub

Growth—

Prefers a moist, partially shaded position^[1]. The plant has a very sparse root system, mainly used for anchoring itself to the branches of trees. The plant absorbs most of its moisture and nutrients from the humid air of its environment, through the absorbent scale-coating of its leaves^[2].

Propagation

Seed - Division Offsets Simply breaking the stems and replanting them works^[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Tillandsia+usneoides>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

[1]Tropical Ornamentals; A Guide — Whistler. W. Arthur. · Timber Press Inc. Oregon. · 2000 · ISBN 0-88192-448-2 ↩︎An excellent little guide to some of the more commonly cultivated ornamental plants of the Tropics, often giving some information on the plants other uses.
[2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[3]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[4]Medicinal Plants of the Guianas — DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J. · Smithsonian Museum · http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html ↩︎A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region