Tillandsia Spotlight: Harrisii Air Plant

Native to Guatemala, the Tillandsia harrisii is a beautiful soft leaved air plant, and one that is great for beginners. The T. harrisii air plants have silvery grey leaves with ample trichomes that grow in a rosette shape along its stem. Since it grows along a stem, this air plant is considered a caulescent species which in definition means that “it grows along a stem above ground.”

A very special air plant, the T. harrisii was named after a Tillandsia enthusiast/explorer who was murdered in Guatemala in 1985. The T. harrisii air plant can grow to be over 8 inches tall and displays a beautiful red inflorescence which will bloom beautiful purple flowers. These plants are slow growing, so you might not see a bloom for a year or two, but it’s worth the wait!

The T. harrisii can withstand some full sun, but we recommend filtered bright indirect light and waterings at least once a week. These plants thrive in lower to moderate humidity because of their abundance of trichomes and prefer good air flow.

T. harrisii air plants look great in a terrarium, bowl, or mounted to a piece of bark or wood. As they grow larger and begin to bloom, place your harrisii on a shelf or table top so you can admire its beautiful bloom! We hold current CITES permits to import the t. Harrisii ensuring that the plants are not poached from the wild and are sustainably grown!