Air plants are an interesting type of plants that absorb air and nutrients from the air and grow without soil. We have already discussed a few air plants before Tillansi Bulbosa, Tillandsia Juncea, and Tillandsia Capitata. In this article, we will talk about another small and simple air plant. The Tillandsia fuchsii is a light green or silver-grey symmetrical tuft about 5 to 8 cm in height and width. The leaves are feeble and thread-like (filiform) emerging out from the base. In wild, you will find them growing as epiphytes while indoors, they make fantastic decorative terrariums and vivariums.
The Mexican native air plant was first described by T.Will. Let us know some more interesting facts about the Tillandsia fuchsii air plant and its varieties.
Tillandsia Fuchsia Classification
Family: Bromeliaceae.
Subfamily: Tillandsioideae.
Genus: Tillandsia.
Species: T. fuchsii.
Genus Tillandsia
Let us have an introduction to the largest genus of the Bromeliaceae family. Moreover, according to recent research, about 650 American native species join to enhance the diversity of this species.
The multi-habitat perennial flowering plants are evergreen in nature and keep their colors in the fierce days of fall. The majority of the plants have a large number of cells for the absorption of water and air on their leaf surface, called trichomes. The trichomes are responsible for the silvery appearance of the leaves.
Plant Features
In this section, you will have a look at the features of the plant body;
- The plant is stem-less and around 5 to 10 cm in size.
- The leaves of an average plant are about 3 to 8 cm long and pointed.
- The leaves are thin but somewhat succulent.
- On maturity, the plant grows a thin, long, and upright inflorescence growing from the center of the round plant body. The stalk-like green inflorescence gets light pink or red in color when the plant blooms with 5 to 10 tiny brightly colored flowers.
- The flowers have purple petals and red sepals. Additionally, they are typical bell-shaped, non-fragrant, and showy having yellow pollen.
Reproduction
The common characteristic of Tillandsias is the production of pups. These are small baby plants, grown attached to the parent plant. If left unattached, they will grow to form a closely grown cluster of air plants.
Cultivars and Varieties of The Plant
The popular cultivars of the plant are;
- Tillandsia ‘Millenium’.
- Tillandsia ‘Tisn’t’.
Varieties
The common varieties of the plant are as under;
- Tillandsia fuchsii Var. ‘gracilis’.
- Tillandsia fuchsii Var. ‘fuchsii’.
- Tillandsia fuchsii Var. ‘Stephani’.
Tillandsia Fuchsii V Gracilis
This is a common variety of fuchsii native to Cuba and Jamaica. This was formerly considered as a species Tillandsia argentea and described by A.H Grisebach in 1866. This plant a tiny stem and light-green narrow filiform leaves coming out from the round base.
The Tillandsia fuchsii gracilis plant has a long inflorescence just like the parent plant but has fewer (4-5 flowers). In addition, the petals are crimson-red in color.
Tillandsia fuchsii V fuchsii
This is a rare variety of fuchsia native to Mexico. The plant grows larger in size than the sister varieties. In addition, leaves are thicker, angled and succulents near the base. The inflorescence is similar to that of the Tillandsia fuchsii gracilis. It looks like a cute little silvery-green sea-urchin.
Tillandsia Fuschii V Stephanii
This is named after the collector Stefan Schatzl. Unlike other varieties and the parent, its inflorescence is brown or maroon in color with purplish stigmas.
Tillandsia Fuchsii Care
People ask questions like ‘how to take care of my Tillandsia fuchsii air plant? This is the easiest of all air plants and we always suggest this plant to beginners.
Have a look at the basic requirements and care of the plant;
Water Requirement
In general, the air plants can be watered by generous misting, mild spraying, or weekly soaking.
You can take a spray bottle and mist the plant generously about five to seven times on the hot summer days. However, as the weather gets cooler, you can just mist twice or thrice or twice a week. Alternatively, you can gently spray the plant thrice a week or soak the whole plant in a water bowl for an hour. This will be enough for the whole week.
The ideal schedule of watering is misting 4 to 5 times with a weekly full water soaking. This will provide adequate water to the thin leaf plant.
Air plants shouldn’t be left wet for more than 4 hours. Else, you will welcome plant issues like rotting. You can also turn them upside down and shake gently to make sure all the standing water is gone from the base and leaf surfaces. moreover, don’t keep them in direct exposure to ACs and heaters, as it will destroy the delicate plant.
Keep an eye on the plant in summer. If the thin leaves are getting dry or dead, you need to adjust your watering schedule.
Sunlight Requirement
The plant loves bright indirect light. Additionally, you can also keep them in artificial light with a minimum distance of 20 cm.
Temperature Requirement
Air plants prefer warm temperatures. The optimal temperature range is between 50 to 80° F.
Humidity Requirement
Just like other air plants, Fuchsii likes a humid environment.
Substrate Requirement
You can keep your air plant on anything including a wooden frame, slate, rocks, window bracket, or a vase. You can even place them on your table or a piece of a sock.
Fertilizer Requirement
You can use a mild fertilizer and mix it in water for spraying on the air plant. Once or twice a month in the growing season will show good results in terms of growth and appearance of the foliage.
In addition, if you have an aquarium you can simply soak the plant in aquarium water. This becomes a good natural fertilizer.
Growth Zone
The plant is hardy in zone 10.
Tillandsia Fuchsii Propagation
Air plants can be propagated by seeds or by the division of the pups. An air plant may take a year or more to become a prominent and decorative plant. So it is not preferable especially for inpatients.
The best method is to divide the pups and grow them in your desired place to get a new plant.
Tillandaia fuchsii for sale
Just get these cute little fuchsii delivered to your desired place and enjoy this marvel of nature.
Summary
Tillandsia fuchsii is a rare exotic plant from the family Bromeliaceae. It forms an evanescent, symmetrical pin-cushion with silvery-green thread-like leaves. The plant produces purplish tiny tubular flowers on long stalk-like fluorescence. It produces baby plants or pups just lime common air tillandsias.
The plant has a few varieties and cultivars, which are popular among domestic air plant lovers. Moreover, the fuschii air plant loves frequent watering, aeration, and bright indirect light.
