How cool is this? My Cardinal Airplant, Tillandsia fasciculata and Medusa's Head, Tillandsia caput medusae have buds!

That is great, Anne. I have the "Cardinal" but they have not bloomed yet. Where in the world did you get your Cardinals?

When I went to visit parents in Ft. Lauderdale. Their house is on three lots with lots of oak trees and all their oaks are filled with them .. some are positively HUGE. These guys are the babies of the one that bloomed last year including the Medusa ... pretty much the same time as last year.

The thread "One of my Tillandsias has a bud!" in Bromeliads forum

How are the buds progressing?

Anne, @Xeramtheum, I need to get your parents to collect some of their "wild-growing" tillandsia, box them up, and ship them to me. I need more "Cardinal" variety plants. I think I only have a single plant left. Perhaps I could do some trading for them.

Sorry Ken .. they are in their 90's and probably wouldn't recognize them even if they were holding them in their hands - tried a year ago to get a friend in lauderdale to send me more .. never happened.

On well. It never hurts to try. At 90, neither needs to me up on a ladder. Perhaps next time you are down, you can collect a box for me. I just know we can do some great trading!

Just took these a few minutes ago.

I'll be happy to collect a box for you Ken if I ever get down there again. I grew up in lauderdale and it all went horribly bad in the 80's .. try my best not to go there.

My MIL went to Naples, FL a few wks ago and found these on the ground under trees. Naturally, she's keeping this one with the inflorescence:




And gave me these 2, which are convalescing with other plants. I love where the smaller one is, in the crook of a Cordyline,



but the bigger one needs something else done with it, maybe. It's just sitting wedged between some trunks of little trees. I love the wire sphere thingie one of yours is in, Anne.

They're gonna be really pretty, Anne. Can't wait to see them open.

I can't wait either! I'm surprised to get so many at once!

Lucky you Tiffany! Yours don't look like the Cardinal .. perhaps @drdawg can ID them for you.

Those could in fact be the T. fasciculate v. densispica "Cardinal Airplant". I have never had my single plant bloom, at least not that I am aware of. Though the bracts are generally red, they can be green, yellow, or rose according to my notes. The flowers should be violet/purple. As far as I am aware, none of the other native Florida Tillandsia have yellow bracts, but I am anything but expert on Florida Tillandsia.

TY! If they ever bloom, I'll see if anybody recognizes them.

Oh, I thought you had blooms. I did not read the post very well. What you could have are immature T. utriculata linnaeus aka "Giant Airplant". It will bloom with a pink to red stem and have violet flowers. Here's a picture of a medium and several smaller Giant Airplants.

The Cardinal is starting to show more color!

Gorgeous, Anne. I now wonder whether I even have a single Cardinal Air-Plant. None of my plants are blooming with this inflo.

Hmm .. or maybe what I have isn't the Cardinal but something else?

If what you have is native to Florida (and the "Cardinal Air-Plant" certainly is), I would think it is rightly labeled. I have the vast majority of Florida Native Tillandsia and some of those are in bloom right now. None of my plant's flowers look like yours. As I said, perhaps I no longer even have a "Cardinal". I guess I need to find some.

To be honest, when it comes to Air Plants I'm very ignorant .. only got into them by accident.