Tillandsia duratii is one of my favourite airplant species. This species is named after an Italian named Durat who was the first person to grow this airplant species in Europe.
This plant has a growth form that is quite unlike many other Tillandsia species. It is a caudescent epiphyte that develops a distinctive stem and has long silvery leaves that bend downwards to the base of the plant. One will notice that the older leaves, as they dry up, form ringlets that coil around a branch or any support that they come in contact with. This is how Tillandsia duratii supports itself in its native growing habitat. From afar, this particular Tillandsia species looks as if it was a bird resting on a tree branch!
Tillandsia duratii is a xeric species that is native to drier parts of Bolivia, eastern Paraguay and northern Argentina and grows at elevations of 200 to 3500 m. It is a species that thrives in Singapore’s climate and particularly suitable for growing in Singapore’s highrise apartment balconies where the environment can be rather windy and dry.
I grow several Tillandsia duratii plants on my balcony where they receive bright reflected light for at least half a day for half a year and direct sunshine in another half, as the sun shifts its path every half a year here in Singapore. Regardless of the intensity of sunshine, this species seems to thrive. At 14 storeys up in the apartment block, their growing environment is relatively windy and dries the plant out promptly. I water this plant by spraying water on it every other day. To date, it hasn’t succumb to rot like some other species do.
I would say that this is one hardly and fuss-free Tillandsia species to grow in Singapore. Just a word of warning is to not grow Tillandsia duratii in an area with high traffic or very strong winds. As this plant grows on a long stem, one can accidentally break the plant into two quite easily if he/she is not observant. I reckon a gust of very strong wind can do similar damage if a plant is not well secured to its support.
This Tillandsia species is reported to be able to grow up to 40 cm in diameter and a meter in height when conditions are conducive. Do you know that it also produces flowers that are fragrant?
Tillandsia duratii is one of the few species of airplants that produces flowers that emit a pleasant fragrance. Each flower has three petals that are lilac in colour. Flowers are produced on a long inflorescence that takes months to develop. An inflorescence in a well grown, healthy plant can reach as long as 1 m in length!
