Live Oak with Cardinal Airplant

FIURolando · 19. Living On Top Of This Live Oak

Living atop this Live Oak is a series of Cardinal Airplants (Tillandsia fasciculata) also known as the giant air plant. This large air plant is a species of bromeliad that is native to Mexico, the West Indies, and the southeastern United States. All native bromeliads are normally epiphytic, meaning they are plants that grow on another plant, such as a tree. Giant Air Plants are non-parasitic and do not harm their host plant. Usually you will see them on the sides of trees. However, it is not uncommon to see them growing on telephone wires, buildings, or even on the ground. The seeds of an air plant are dispersed by the wind and will eventually land in a nook or crevice of a tree where they begin to take root.