Tillandsia klausii

Tillandsia klausii. This remarkable air plant species was discovered in 1985 by renowned botanist Renate Ehlers and her husband Klaus during a collecting expedition in Chiapas, Mexico. She named the species in his honor. Tragically, the type locality—a steep, rocky cliff—is now underwater, having been flooded to create a dam, and the species is believed to be extinct in the wild. All plants in cultivation today are descended from the original collections. Tillandsia klausii is a stemless plant that grows in clumps, forming a striking pseudobulbous rosette. The leaves are few, succulent, soft, and fragile, reaching up to 17 cm (6.7 inches) long. The foliage is green but will turn a brilliant rose to red when grown in bright sun. The plant's most distinctive feature is its dense covering of large, almost fuzzy, cinereous (ash-grey) scales (trichomes) that give it a unique, textured appearance. The inflorescence is a simple, erect, bipinnate spike that is 3-8 cm long. It features a beautiful pink spike with deep blue flowers. The floral bracts are densely imbricate and can be red or rarely dark rose. Care Instructions: Provide strong indirect to partial direct light for the best growth and to encourage the beautiful red blushing. We do not recommend keeping this plant in low-light indoor conditions. Thoroughly spray or dunk the plant twice a week, allowing it to dry within 6-8 hours. During hotter and drier months, you can soak the plant for up to 2 hours to rehydrate as necessary.