The Air Plant

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I had even heard of an air plant. Now they seem to be everywhere, a trendy and low-maintenance plant that doesn’t require soil, evokes something minimal and well-designed. Heck, I even have a collection of them sitting next to me right now. But what the heck is an air plant?

Technically called Tillandsia, the air plant is an evergreen in the bromeliad family. There are over 500 species of the plant, and they grow only in the western hemisphere. Considered epiphytes, they need no soil because water and nutrients are absorbed through the leaves. And while you can see them in the wild clinging to other plants, they’re not parasitic, they only rely on other plants for support.

All images courtesy of the various photographers.