Photo credit: Michael Lemmon

No soil required!

Tillandsias are an amazing group of plants that come in a variety of shapes and are easy to care for.

They differ from most other plants because they draw nutrients and moisture from the air through specially designed cells found on their leaves.

Usually called “air plants,” their root systems are used to anchor them to a host system, such as a branch or rock.

They are part of the Bromeliad family and can be found in tropical forests, mountains and even deserts.

At Baltimore’s Rawlings Conservatory in Druid Hill Park, there is an epiphytic wall in the Tropical Room that is full of tillandsias now in bloom and displaying a wide range of reds, purples and pinks.