Tillandsia ionantha (blushing bride)

Found from Mexico to Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua) at 450-1,700 metres above sea level.

Blushing bride most commonly grows as a stemless plant, with leaves up to 6 cm long, covered with coarse, silvery-grey scales. The leaf sheaths are elliptical and about half as long as the leaf blades. The leaf blades are stout, narrowly triangular and 5 mm wide. The outer leaves are green and the inner leaves are deep red at the time of flowering. The inflorescence is a reduced panicle, with a spike-like appearance. The violet petals are over 4 cm long and the yellow stamens and pistil protrude from the end. The fruit is a subcylindric capsule, 3 cm in length. The seeds have a feathered tuft of hairs and are wind-dispersed.

Groups of plants can develop into dense clusters of rosettes by the production of offsets, forming large clumps that can completely encircle a tree branch. The red inner leaves at flowering and exserted (protruding) floral parts suggest pollination by hummingbirds.

Members of the genus Tillandsia, known as ‘air plants’, have declined in numbers in the wild due to habitat loss and over-collection for the horticultural trade. Climate change is likely to be an additional threat to T. ionantha, which would be adversely affected by drought and an increase in the frequency of hurricanes. Although it has been given a global conservation rating of Near Threatened (NT) according to IUCN Red List criteria, T. ionantha was listed as Vulnerable (VU) in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico and Endangered (EN) in Chiapas (Mexico) in the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants. These discrepancies are a result of it being common and abundant in some parts of its range and scarce in others, and also a result of the information available at the time of the assessment. Further surveys are needed to determine the on-going effects of collection and habitat loss on the conservation status of this species across its wide geographical range.

Tillandsia ionantha is being monitored as part of the IUCN Sampled Red List Index for Plants, which aims to produce conservation assessments for a representative sample of the world’s plant species. This information will then be used to monitor trends in extinction risk and help focus conservation efforts where they are needed most.

Learn more about some of the plants that were assessed as part of this project.

Use Kew's interactive map and charts to explore the state of plant life around the world and find out more about plants at risk.

Tillandsia ionantha is grown on a commercial scale for the horticultural trade, and is one of the most commonly available bromeliad species in the UK and USA.

Tillandsia ionantha is popular in cultivation as a result of it being small, attractive and easy to cultivate. It grows primarily as an epiphyte, but it is also found as a terrestrial. When cultivated in bright light, the entire plant changes in a short time to a fiery crimson colour that commands the spotlight. Blushing bride is a durable species and is ideal for growing on a kitchen windowsill, where it can receive strong light and be seen at its best. It produces abundant roots when grown well, and these attach the plant firmly to the mounting substrate.

Blushing bride can be seen growing in the Princess of Wales Conservatory, and is also grown in the behind-the-scenes Tropical Nursery.

Search Kew's databases for more information on this species

Neotropical Bromeliaceae (Neotropikey)