Summary ³

Tillandsia balbisiana, common name northern needleleaf, is a species in the genus Tillandsia. This species in native to Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, the West Indies, and Florida.

Occurance in Palm Beach County ⁴

Frequently found in natural areas.

ID tips ⁴

Also called "coke bottle airplant" due to the shape: narrow and tall. It has a narrow, bulbous base instead of the wide base of the Cardinal Airplant (Tillandsia fasciculata) and longer leaves compared to the Potbelly Airplant (Tillandsia paucifolia). It can range from green to dark grey, end of leaves may have a reddish tint (especially younger specimines). It can grow solo or in large colonies. Bloom is smaller than the Cardinal Airplant (Tillandsia fasciculata).

Sources and Credits

1. (c) scott.zona, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottzona/6892712654/
2. (c) Jessica Flynn, all rights reserved, uploaded by Jessica Flynn
3. Adapted by Jessica Flynn from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia_balbisiana
4. (c) Jessica Flynn, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Catalogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia
• eFloras.org
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• World Flora Online

iNat Map