Types of Air Plants

Air plants, also known as epiphytes, are unusual, as they don't rely on either soil or water as substrates for drawing nutrients and water. They derive all necessary nutrients and water from the air, itself. To physically support themselves, such plants anchor on trees or fences. Epiphytes include many types of bromeliads, such as Tillandsia, the genus most commonly referred to as "air plants."

Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) is a member of the Bromeliad family, popularly known as the "pineapple" family. It has no woody stem with growth resembling a soft, amorphous moss. Its name simply reflects this similarity in appearance, as the Spanish moss is not a true moss but a flowering plant. The plant is commonly found throughout much of the Southern United States. Its range also includes parts of South America, particularly central Argentina and Chile, making its habitat the most extensive of any bromeliad. Spanish moss grows best in moist places, such as pinelands and scrublands. The plant's soft limbs are highly branched and quite long, measuring up to 18 inches in length. The leaves resemble needle-like extensions of the branches, measuring just about 1/16 inches wide. They are covered with gray-green scales. The flowers of Spanish moss are quite small and bloom for four days in April, casting small seed capsules measuring 1/2 to 3/4 inches long.

The giant airplant (Tillandsia utriculata) is also known as the swollen wild pine, spreading air plant or giant wild pine. The plant's survival has largely diminished due to the introduction of the Mexican bromeliad weevil throughout its native habitat. The plant's native range includes Florida, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The giant airplant spreads to large dimensions, measuring up to 12 feet long with individual leaves measuring up to 31 inches. Its leaves have wide scales and are gray-green in color. Giant airplants grow best in sunny areas including dry hammocks, pinelands and cypress swamps, where they can live for up to 20 years. The plant flowers from spring through fall, producing bracts of 10 to 200 white and purple flowers.

The powdery strap airplant (Catopsis berteroniana) is a bromeliad known as the powdery catopsis, West Indies catopsis, Yellow catopsis or the mealy wild pine. The powdery strap airplant is endangered, affected by the presence of the Mexican bromeliad weevil as well as habitat loss to human settlement and illegal collection. It grows natively in Florida, the Caribbean and Central and South America. You can find the plant on the high branches of trees, as it prefers intense light. The powdery strap airplant has a chalky white powder on its leaves. This powder helps the carnivorous plant to trap insects.