Tillandsia fasciculata

Details Top

Internal ID UUID64400e84146f0451865241
Scientific name Tillandsia fasciculata
Authority Sw.
First published in Prodr. Veg. Ind. Occ. : 56 (1788)

Ethnobotanical Use Top

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General Uses Top

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Common products:
- Live plants are sold as ornamental houseplants and epiphytic specimens for indoor displays, terrariums, and vertical gardens.
- Tissue‑cultured plantlets are supplied by specialty nurseries for commercial propagation.
- Individual rosettes are marketed as “air plants” for gift‑ware and novelty stores.
- Plants are also sold as miniature topiaries for retail florists.

Industrial and craft applications:
- The species is used in modular living‑wall systems, where its epiphytic habit reduces substrate and maintenance.
- Its compact rosette is used in craft projects such as terrarium assemblies and miniature garden displays.
- The epiphytic nature allows the species to be mounted on driftwood, cork, or artificial substrates for design projects.

Properties relevant to use:
- The species is epiphytic, anchoring to tree bark or rock without soil.
- It performs CAM photosynthesis, allowing water conservation under low humidity and light, suitable for low‑maintenance indoor cultivation.
- Dense trichomes on the leaf surface facilitate rapid uptake of atmospheric moisture and nutrients.
- The rosette stores water in leaf bases, providing a built‑in reservoir that minimizes irrigation.
- Trichomes are highly reflective, giving a silvery appearance valued in horticulture.
- Leaf surfaces are covered with a dense array of peltate trichomes that reflect UV light, reducing heat stress.

Scientific/model-organism use:
- Tillandsia fasciculata is used in research on epiphytic plant biology, CAM photosynthesis, and atmospheric nutrient acquisition.
- It is maintained in botanical garden collections as a standard for experimental manipulation of epiphytic conditions.
- Comparative studies of CAM regulation have informed breeding programs for drought‑tolerant ornamental bromeliads.
- Genomic resources, including transcriptome assemblies, are publicly available for comparative analyses within Bromeliaceae.

Standards and regulation:
- International trade is regulated under CITES Appendix II for Bromeliaceae, requiring export permits and reporting.
- Florida state regulations restrict wild collection of epiphytic bromeliads on public lands; a permit is required.
- Export shipments must be accompanied by CITES permits, and traders are required to keep records for a minimum of five years.

Sustainability and sourcing:
- Wild populations are collected for horticultural trade; over‑harvesting has led to the adoption of in‑vitro propagation and tissue‑culture techniques.
- The species is listed as “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List, though localized declines in Florida have resulted in state‑level restrictions on wild collection.
- Regional conservation programs promote the use of cultivated material over wild‑collected specimens, and several nurseries have adopted fair‑trade certification for bromeliad trade.

Synonyms Top

Scientific name Authority First published in
Tillandsia beutelspacheri Matuda Phytologia 28: 30. 1974
Tillandsia glaucophylla Baker Handb. Bromel. 183, 243. 1889 [Aug-Oct 1889]
Tillandsia insignis Matuda Cact. Suc. Mex. 26(4): 91. 1971

Common names Top

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Language Common/alternative name
English cardinal air plant
English giant air plant
English giant airplant
Korean 홍관조틸란드시아
Chinese 丛生铁兰
Chinese 束状铁兰

Subspecies (abbr. subsp./ssp.) Top

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Varieties (abbr. var.) Top

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Name Authority First published in
Tillandsia fasciculata var. clavispica Mez Monogr. Phan. 9: 683 (1896)
Tillandsia fasciculata var. densispica Mez Monogr. Phan. 9: 683 (1896)
Tillandsia fasciculata var. fasciculata Sw. Unknown
Tillandsia fasciculata var. laxispica Mez Monogr. Phan. 9: 684 (1896)

Subvarieties (abbr. subvar.) Top

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Forms (abbr. f.) Top

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Germination/Propagation Top

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Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top

Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
  • Northern America
    • Mexico
      • Mexico Central
      • Mexico Gulf
      • Mexico Northeast
      • Mexico Northwest
      • Mexico Southeast
      • Mexico Southwest
    • Southeastern U.S.A.
      • Florida
  • Southern America
    • Brazil
      • Brazil North
    • Caribbean
      • Bahamas
      • Cayman Islands
      • Cuba
      • Dominican Republic
      • Haiti
      • Jamaica
      • Leeward Islands
      • Netherlands Antilles
      • Puerto Rico
      • Trinidad-Tobago
      • Turks-caicos Islands
      • Venezuelan Antilles
      • Windward Islands
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Nicaragua
      • Panamá
    • Northern South America
      • French Guiana
      • Suriname
      • Venezuela
    • Western South America
      • Colombia

Links to other databases Top

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Database ID/link to page
World Flora Online wfo-0000578417
Florida Plant Atlas 2842
USDA Plants TIFA
Tropicos 4300574
INPN 630809
KEW urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30019940-2
The Plant List kew-268971
Open Tree Of Life 925440
Observations.org 195228
NCBI Taxonomy 220113
Nature Serve 2.146854
IUCN Red List 44393356
IPNI 30019940-2
iNaturalist 68593
GBIF 2695969
Freebase /m/09v2m3k
EOL 345907
Wikipedia Tillandsia_fasciculata

Genomes (via NCBI) Top

Below is displayed the reference genome only!
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
Accession Assembly
Name Level Submitter Released Coverage Size
GCA_029168755.2 TFas_v1.1 Chromosome University of Vienna 2023-03-14 33 798.77 Mb

Scientific Literature Top

Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Title Authors Publication Released IDs
Geographic And Taxonomic Occurrence R‐based Scrubbing (gatoRs): An R package and workflow for processing biodiversity data Patten NN, Gaynor ML, Soltis DE, Soltis PS Appl Plant Sci 21-Mar-2024
PMCID:PMC11022233
doi:10.1002/aps3.11575
Bridging the gap: A new species of arboreal Abronia (Squamata: Anguidae) from the Northern Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico Clause AG, Luna-Reyes R, Mendoza-Velázquez OM, Nieto-Montes de Oca A, Solano-Zavaleta I PLoS One 03-Jan-2024
PMCID:PMC10763973
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0295230
PMID:38170723
CAM plants: their importance in epiphyte communities and prospects with global change Zotz G, Andrade JL, Einzmann HJ Ann Bot 07-Jan-2023
PMCID:PMC10799991
doi:10.1093/aob/mcac158
PMID:36617243
Responses of Caribbean Mangroves to Quaternary Climatic, Eustatic, and Anthropogenic Drivers of Ecological Change: A Review Rull V Plants (Basel) 13-Dec-2022
PMCID:PMC9786987
doi:10.3390/plants11243502
PMID:36559614
New Proposal of Epiphytic Bromeliaceae Functional Groups to Include Nebulophytes and Shallow Tanks Reyes-García C, Pereira-Zaldívar NA, Espadas-Manrique C, Tamayo-Chim M, Chilpa-Galván N, Cach-Pérez MJ, Ramírez-Medina M, Benavides AM, Hietz P, Zotz G, Andrade JL, Cardelús C, de Paula Oliveira R, Einzmann HJ, Guzmán Jacob V, Krömer T, Pinzón JP, Sarmento Cabral J, Wanek W, Woods C Plants (Basel) 17-Nov-2022
PMCID:PMC9693514
doi:10.3390/plants11223151
PMID:36432880
Taxon‐specific or universal? Using target capture to study the evolutionary history of rapid radiations Yardeni G, Viruel J, Paris M, Hess J, Groot Crego C, de La Harpe M, Rivera N, Barfuss MH, Till W, Guzmán‐Jacob V, Krömer T, Lexer C, Paun O, Leroy T Mol Ecol Resour 10-Oct-2021
PMCID:PMC9292372
doi:10.1111/1755-0998.13523
PMID:34606683
Dataset, including a photo-guide, of alien plants sold in traditional medicine markets and healthcare outlets in three South African cities, specifically by traders of Indian, West African, East African, and Chinese origin Williams VL, Burness A, Wojtasik EM, Byrne MJ Data Brief 21-Sep-2021
PMCID:PMC8479245
doi:10.1016/j.dib.2021.107395
PMID:34621926
Go with the flow: The extent of drag reduction as epiphytic bromeliads reorient in wind Tay JY, Zotz G, Puczylowski J, Einzmann HJ PLoS One 24-Jun-2021
PMCID:PMC8224879
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0252790
PMID:34166417
Copepods and ostracods associated with bromeliads in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico Mercado-Salas NF, Khodami S, Martínez Arbizu P PLoS One 18-Mar-2021
PMCID:PMC7971893
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0248863
PMID:33735283
Phytochemical analysis and biological activities of in vitro cultured Nidularium procerum, a bromeliad vulnerable to extinction Gollo AL, Tanobe VO, de Melo Pereira GV, Marin O, Bonatto SJ, Silva S, de Barros IR, Soccol CR Sci Rep 24-Apr-2020
PMCID:PMC7181841
doi:10.1038/s41598-020-64026-z
PMID:32332902
Genetic diversity and population structure of Vriesea reitzii (Bromeliaceae), a species from the Southern Brazilian Highlands Soares LE, Goetze M, Zanella CM, Bered F Genet Mol Biol 19-Mar-2018
PMCID:PMC5913716
doi:10.1590/1678-4685-GMB-2017-0062
PMID:29583153
Natural hybridization and genetic and morphological variation between two epiphytic bromeliads Neri J, Wendt T, Palma-Silva C AoB Plants 25-Nov-2017
PMCID:PMC5751037
doi:10.1093/aobpla/plx061
PMID:29308124
Dispersal and establishment of vascular epiphytes in human-modified landscapes Einzmann HJ, Zotz G AoB Plants 03-Oct-2017
PMCID:PMC5714248
doi:10.1093/aobpla/plx052
PMID:29225763
Non-Polar Natural Products from Bromelia laciniosa, Neoglaziovia variegata and Encholirium spectabile (Bromeliaceae) Juvik OJ, Holmelid B, Francis GW, Lie Andersen H, de Oliveira AP, Gonçalves de Oliveira Júnior R, Guedes da Silva Almeida JR, Fossen T Molecules 06-Sep-2017
PMCID:PMC6151397
doi:10.3390/molecules22091478
PMID:28878176
What´s in the tank? Nematodes and other major components of the meiofauna of bromeliad phytotelms in lowland Panama Zotz G, Traunspurger W BMC Ecol 15-Mar-2016
PMCID:PMC4791780
doi:10.1186/s12898-016-0069-9
PMID:26976274

Phytochemical Profile Top

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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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Name PubChem ID Canonical SMILES MW Found in Proof
> Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Steroids and steroid derivatives / Cucurbitacins
(8R,9S,13R,17R)-17-(5,6-dimethylhept-6-en-2-yl)-9-ethyl-4,4,13,14-tetramethyl-1,2,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,15,16,17-dodecahydrocyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-one 5316255 Click to see CCC12CCC3(C(CCC3(C1CCC4C2CCC(=O)C4(C)C)C)C(C)CCC(C)C(=C)C)C 454.80 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744
> Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Steroids and steroid derivatives / Cycloartanols and derivatives
(1S,3R,8R,11S,12S,15R,16R)-15-[(2R,5R)-5,6-dimethylhept-6-en-2-yl]-7,7,12,16-tetramethylpentacyclo[9.7.0.01,3.03,8.012,16]octadecan-6-one 13918177 Click to see 438.70 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744
(24R)-24-methylcycloart-25-en-3beta-ol 5460418 Click to see 440.70 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744
[(1S,3R,6S,12S,15R,16R)-15-[(2R,5S)-5,6-dimethylhept-6-en-2-yl]-7,7,12,16-tetramethyl-6-pentacyclo[9.7.0.01,3.03,8.012,16]octadecanyl] acetate 162917068 Click to see 482.80 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744
[(1S,3R,6S,12S,15R,16R)-15-[(2R,5S)-5,6-dimethylhept-6-en-2-yl]-7,7,12,16-tetramethyl-6-pentacyclo[9.7.0.01,3.03,8.012,16]octadecanyl] formate 162891651 Click to see 468.80 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744
[(1S,3R,6S,8R,11S,12S,15R,16R)-15-[(2R,5R)-5,6-dimethylhept-6-en-2-yl]-7,7,12,16-tetramethyl-6-pentacyclo[9.7.0.01,3.03,8.012,16]octadecanyl] formate 101130233 Click to see 468.80 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744
[15-(5,6-Dimethylhept-6-en-2-yl)-7,7,12,16-tetramethyl-6-pentacyclo[9.7.0.01,3.03,8.012,16]octadecanyl] formate 73809256 Click to see 468.80 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744
15-(5,6-Dimethylhept-6-en-2-yl)-7,7,12,16-tetramethylpentacyclo[9.7.0.01,3.03,8.012,16]octadecan-6-one 13918176 Click to see CC(CCC(C)C(=C)C)C1CCC2(C1(CCC34C2CCC5C3(C4)CCC(=O)C5(C)C)C)C 438.70 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744
7,7,12,16-Tetramethyl-15-(6-methyl-5-propan-2-ylhept-6-en-2-yl)pentacyclo[9.7.0.01,3.03,8.012,16]octadecan-6-one 73809255 Click to see 466.80 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744
9,19-Cyclolanost-25-en-3-ol, 24-methyl-, (3beta,24S)- 550205 Click to see 440.70 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744
Cyclolaudenol 101729 Click to see 440.70 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744
Cyclolaudenone 21592246 Click to see CC(CCC(C)C(=C)C)C1CCC2(C1(CCC34C2CCC5C3(C4)CCC(=O)C5(C)C)C)C 438.70 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744
Tillandsinone 21592247 Click to see CC(C)C(CCC(C)C1CCC2(C1(CCC34C2CCC5C3(C4)CCC(=O)C5(C)C)C)C)C(=C)C 466.80 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744
> Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Steroids and steroid derivatives / Ergostane steroids / Ergosterols and derivatives
(24R)-5-Ergosten-3beta-ol 312822 Click to see 400.70 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744
(3S,8S,9S,14S,17R)-17-[(2R,5R)-5,6-dimethylheptan-2-yl]-10,13-dimethyl-2,3,4,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17-dodecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-ol 134766514 Click to see 400.70 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744
> Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Steroids and steroid derivatives / Stigmastanes and derivatives
17-(5-ethyl-6-methylheptan-2-yl)-10,13-dimethyl-2,3,4,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17-dodecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-ol 86821 Click to see CCC(CCC(C)C1CCC2C1(CCC3C2CC=C4C3(CCC(C4)O)C)C)C(C)C 414.70 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744
Stigmast-5-en-3-ol 22012 Click to see 414.70 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744
Stigmasterol 5280794 Click to see 412.70 unknown https://doi.org/10.1021/NP0100744

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