Tillandsia polzii

Bring a touch of semi-rare Brazilian beauty to your collection with Tillandsia polzii. this species was formally described by Renate Ehlers in 1997, based on collections made 17 years earlier by F. Polz and his companions in the southern part of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It remains a rarely offered gem in the air plant world.

Tillandsia polzii is closely related to the more common T. aeranthos, but it stands apart with several distinctive features. It grows larger in size, with coarser, more robust foliage. Its leaves are somewhat numerous (approximately 10-15), laxly polystichous, distinctly secund, and densely grey lepidote on both sides. It exhibits a caulescent (stem-growing) growth habit, and its foliage is a dark grey-green that can take on a stunning deep purple tinting when grown in bright light.

When it blooms, typically in winter, Tillandsia polzii puts on a show! It produces a short, simple inflorescence with a salmon-pink bract on a scape 10-15cm long. The inflorescence bears 5 to 10 flowers that are a beautiful dark blue to blue-violet color.

Care Instructions: Provide strong, indirect or filtered light for optimal growth and to encourage the deep purple coloration in the leaves. A plant in a hot position will require watering every 2-3 days whereas in a cooler, more humid environment, watering once a week can be adequate. You can achieve this by thoroughly misting or dunking the plant. Allow the plant to dry out completely between each watering.