About Tillandsia utriculata L.
Tillandsia utriculata L., commonly called the spreading airplant, giant airplant, or wild pine, is a bromeliad species. Its native range covers Florida and Georgia in the United States, the Caribbean, southern and eastern Mexico (including Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Oaxaca, and the Yucatán Peninsula), Central America, and Venezuela. Two subspecies are currently recognized: Tillandsia utriculata subsp. pringlei (S.Watson) C.S.Gardner, which is native to eastern Mexico, and Tillandsia utriculata subsp. utriculata, which occurs across most of the species’ full range. Populations of this species in Florida are highly susceptible to infestation by the invasive weevil Metamasius callizona, and these populations have been severely devastated across the entire Florida range. Among all bromeliads native to Florida, Tillandsia utriculata stores the largest volume of impounded water in the leaf axil tank, holding up to one liter. It acts as a major host for many species of aquatic invertebrates. As Tillandsia utriculata continues a steady population decline, many of these invertebrate species are losing their specialized habitat.
