Like most greenhouse owners I'm in 

 the business because I have a gen- 

 uine Hking for plants. And like most 

 plant lovers, I like to have a collection 

 of plants that I can call my own. Un- 

 fortunately, I have to remind myself 

 that I'm in the business to make mon- 

 ey and thus cannot sacrifice green- 

 house space for my own private con- 

 sen'atory. As such, I feel that I have 

 arrived at a compromise by putting 

 together a personal collection of 

 Tillandsias which I keep on display 

 in my retail greenhouse. 



Tillandsias are a genus of the 

 Bromeliacae, or pineapple family. 

 The cuTTent edition of Exotica lists 

 no fewer than 88 different species 

 and two hybrids. Although the name 

 may seem strange, most people are 

 familar with at least one Tillandsia, 

 T. usneoides. Its common name is 

 Spanish Moss and it can be seen 

 hanging from the trees throughout 

 most of the Southeastern United 

 States. Additionally, Tillandsias 

 have been appearing in gift shops in 

 recent years where they are sold as 

 small air plants attached to shells 

 and pieces of driftwood. 



Tillandsias range from the South- 

 eastern United States through the 

 Caribbean Islands and into Central 

 and South America. Most species are 

 epiphytic, growing on tree limbs, 

 rocks, and even telephone lines. Their 

 size ranges from the nearly micro- 

 scopic T. usneoides to the large and 

 impressive T. grandis, which is 

 known to reach 12 feet tall when in 

 blossom. Tillandsias take on many 

 forms but most consist of a whorl of 

 strap-like leaves which arise from a 

 basal stem. Tillandsia setacea has 

 thin straight leaves that make it look 

 like nothing more than a twig of pine 

 needles. T. bulbosa has a bulbous 

 stem from which arise thin tubular 

 leaves that undulate in numerous 

 directions as if they were the arms of 

 an octopus. And T. xerographica, my 

 favorite, has long leaves that whorl 

 about the central stem giving it the 

 appearance of a whirlpool's vortex, 

 ready to suck in any customer that 

 ventures too close. 



Since most Tillandsia are epiphytic, 

 their leaves have evolved special 

 structures to capture moisture and 



Tillandsias 



Plant Collection 



That Won't Interfere 



with Profits 



Peter Corey 



nutrients from the air around them. 

 These structures look like scales and 

 are called scurf. These scales give the 

 plant a greyish-green hue. In some 

 instance the scales are so pronounced 

 that the plant appears to be covered 

 with white hairs, such as T. tector- 

 um. AW Tillandsias have roots as well . 

 but these serve largely as anchors. 



Most Tillandsias bloom once a year 

 with regularity. Their inflorescence 

 can be quite large or almost 

 nonexistant. It is the foliage that gen- 

 erally puts on a better show at blos- 

 som time as it turns from grey- 

 green to varing shades of red and 

 orange. After blossoming the plant 

 usually dies but not before sprouting 

 one or more new shoots (or pups) to 

 take its place. 



I was introduced to the world of Bro- 

 meliads and Tillandsias while a stu- 

 dent at UNH. The conservatory 

 there holds an impressive display of 

 Bromeliads. I became intrigued with 

 their form, diversity, and growth 

 habits. 



My current collection contains 30 

 spedes, all of which are epiphytic. I 

 mount them individually on pieces of 

 cedar bark which are about eight 

 inches long and two inches thick. Us- 

 ing clear fishing line, I afix a ball of 

 unmilled sphagnum moss to the ce- 

 dar. I then set the base of the plant on 

 top of the moss and loosely tie the 

 plant to the cedar bark. Eventually 

 the plant's own roots vrill anchor it to 

 the moss and the fishing line can be 

 removed. The moss helps to maintain 

 moisture and humidity around the 

 plant 



My collection enjoys a southern ex- 

 posure but I provide them with arti- 

 ficial shade during the summer 

 months. Tillandsia care is very easy. 

 I mist them whenever the moss ap- 

 pears dry, usually every two to three 

 days, and occasionally I use a dilute 

 solution of Peters 15-16-17 Peat Lite 

 Special. I also insure that they re- 

 ceive good air circulation which is 

 very important. 



My entire collection occupies only 

 veritcal space on a 6 x 8 piece of lat- 

 tice work that hides one of the fur- 

 naces in the gr-eenhouse. Since no 

 benchspace is lost. I have no problem 

 justifying the presence of the collec- 

 tion. My customers are intrigued by 

 them and love to ask questions about 

 them. And, oh yes, I will sell them if 

 the price is right. 



I obtain all my Tillandsias from 

 Cornelison Bromeliads, 225 San 

 Bernardino Street, North Fort 

 Myers, Florida 33903. Frank 

 Cornelison is retired from the Army 

 and raises Bromeliads as a hobby. 

 He has a wide selection of Tilland- 

 sias, as well as other Bromeliads. His 

 price list is free for the asking and 

 although it's nothing fancy, his 

 plants are of good quality and the 

 price can't be beat. 



If the idea of a Tillandsia collection 

 interests you, find yourself a source 

 and indulge yourself with a plant 

 collection that won't interfer with 

 your profits. 



Peter Corey is co-owner of Village 

 Green Florist & Greenhouses. 

 17 Cottage Street, Littleton, NH 

 03561. For further information, call 

 Peter at (603) 444-2201. -^ 



F E H R U A R V / M A R C H 1991 3 



