Air plants are strange but beautiful relatives of the pineapple

The plants in the genus Tillandsia are often called "Air Plants" because they grow in the wild in trees and on rocks and are not dependent on having any access to soil. Some species like T. aeranthos, which is commonly grown on Tenerife and in many other subtropical and tropical parts of the world, are also known as "Carnations of the air."

The Tillandsia species are actually epiphytes meaning that they grow in trees, which they need as supports, but they are not parasites and take no food from their hosts. Air plants get all that they need via the leaves which absorb moisture and nutrients from the air and also photosynthesise like all green plants.

They come from Central and Southern America and some of the Southern States and one species, the Spanish Moss (T.usneoides) is a common site in Florida, Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi. Because of the creepy Gothic look it gives to places it is is growing in it often features in locations for horror films and television programmes.

It is not a moss but a flowering plant although it does share the same habit and appearance as the Old Man's Beard lichens (Usnea spp), which also festoon tree trunks and their branches and hang down from them.

Many species of Tillandsia are sold as exotic houseplants and distributed worldwide. They can be grown attched to driftwood or some other natural object and require very little care. Some types have pretty flowers, hence the "carnation" name they have been given.

Tillandsias reproduce by seed and also by pieces getting carried by the wind or by birds to new and suitable hosts.

The Tillandsias are actually related to the Pineapple (Ananas comosus)  and are in the Bromeliad family (Bromeliaceae).