Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Medium

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Subtropical forest

Range

The Americas

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Common

About

This flowering plant hangs from tree branches in humid tropical climates. It lacks roots and absorbs all its water and nutrients directly from the air.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Liliopsida

Order

Poales

Family

Bromeliaceae

Genus

Tillandsia

Species

Tillandsia usneoides