Tillandsia tricolor

Where Tillandsia tricolor comes from

Tillandsia tricolor is native from southern Mexico through Central America, including Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. It grows attached to trees without soil and is found mainly in wet tropical habitats.

It occurs in humid evergreen, pine and cloud forests.

Looking after Tillandsia tricolor indoors

• Humidity: Moderate to high humidity suits it, but the leaves still need to dry between waterings.
• Water: Give a thorough rinse or soak whenever the plant has dried. Do not leave it dry for long periods in warm, bright conditions, and do not rely on occasional light misting alone.
• Drying: After watering, shake the rosette and hold it at an angle or upside down until no water remains pooled between the upright leaf bases.
• Airflow: Keep it where air can move through the upright rosette so the base does not remain wet after watering.
• Light: Bright filtered light supports compact growth and flowering. Avoid a sudden move into strong midday sun through glass; increase direct sun gradually.
• Temperature: Keep it warm. If temperatures approach 12 °C, water less often and never leave the rosette wet for a long time.
• Display: Grow without potting soil on an open mount or stand. Do not push the lower leaf bases into moisture-holding moss.
• Feeding: Use an occasional very dilute bromeliad or orchid fertiliser when watering.
• After flowering: Each rosette flowers once and then gradually declines as pups take over. Leave the mother in place until it is fully dry before removing it.
• Offsets: Leave pups attached if you prefer a fuller group, or separate only well-established offsets.

Problems and solutions for Tillandsia tricolor

• Leaf tips turn brown and crisp: The plant is probably staying dry for too long between waterings, or the room is very dry. Give it a thorough soak or rinse and water a little sooner so the leaves stay firm without remaining wet.
• The centre or lower leaf bases become dark and soft: Water has stayed trapped in the rosette for too long. Shake or tip out trapped water, improve airflow, let the plant dry fully and remove only rotten tissue with a disinfected tool.
• Broad pale patches appear on the upper leaves: The foliage has been scorched by too much direct sun or heat. Move it away from hot glass and increase direct sun gradually.
• Cottony deposits or hard raised bumps appear: Check for mealybugs or scale. Isolate the plant, remove small colonies carefully and, if treatment is needed, use a product labelled for the pest and ornamental houseplants, following the label’s repeat interval.

If the problem is unclear or continues to worsen after the likely cause is corrected, send us clear photos of the whole plant and the affected area so we can help identify it.

Tillandsia tricolor is non-toxic to people and pets

• This plant is non-toxic to people, cats and dogs.
• Chewing a large amount can still cause an upset stomach.
• If a large amount is eaten and symptoms continue, contact a veterinarian or medical professional.

How did Tillandsia tricolor get its name?

Tillandsia honours the Finnish physician and botanist Elias Tillandz. The epithet tricolor is Latin for three-coloured.

Carl Linnaeus established the genus Tillandsia in 1753 in Species Plantarum, page 286.

Diederich Franz Leonhard von Schlechtendal and Ludolf Karl Adelbert von Chamisso first described Tillandsia tricolor in 1831 in Linnaea, volume 6, page 54.