Tillandsia scales – up close!

Silver-coloured Tillandsias are covered, to a greater or lesser extent, with small whitish scales – known as trichomes – which are designed to capture and absorb moisture. To the eye, but especially to the touch, these feel like a fine down. These cells are also present in large numbers on the inflorescences. Here is a close-up of the species T. latifolia and its flower stalk, where the trichomes are ‘large’ enough and spaced far enough apart to be clearly seen, even with the naked eye.

In a Tillandsia, the density and size of the trichomes are indicators of its resistance to periods of drought: the more numerous and larger they are, the better its ability to absorb water. Furthermore, a drop of water landing on a well-endowed plant immediately soaks all the surrounding trichomes.

Water absorption is therefore complete and immediate, whereas in a plant with few trichomes, the water will run off and evaporate to some extent! However, even xerophilous species (those best adapted to dry environments) can suffer from a lack of water in our homes during winter, when the air is dried out by heating systems, as they are acclimatised to greenhouse cultivation. You should therefore spray water onto their foliage once a day, preferably in the morning, so that it can dry out during the day.