Air Plant

These extaodinary plants are silver-grey to greenish in colour with slender, spicky leaves. They gather moisture and nutrients from the air (dust, decaying leaves and insect matter) through structures on the leaves called trichomes. Tillandsia species are epiphytes (also called aerophytes or air plants) – i.e. they normally grow without soil while attached to other plants). Epiphytes are not parasitic, depending on the host only for support. A total of 107 Tillandsia species are cultivated in southern Africa, mainly in specialist collections.