Hi,

This sounds like an interesting project!

I am not an expert on Tillandsias, but I will do my best to share the information I have about T. bulbosa with you. I hope you find it useful.

Tillandsia bulbosa is a member of the Bromeliad family. Pineapples are also in the Bromeliad family, so T. bulbosa is related to the pineapple. The places where T. bulbosa grows tend to be hot, and humid. T. bulbosa can be found in many different countries that are hot and humid - from Jamaica, to Mexico, and south to Brazil.

You are correct that T. bulbosa does not grow in soil, but fortunately, it has some very impressive adaptations that allow it to thrive! T. bulbosa it is an epiphyte, which means it grows on other plants. In particular, T. bulbosa grows on trees.

Although T. bulbosa does not grow in soil, it does have roots. These roots are very hard, like wires, and they allow T. bulbosa to hold on tightly to the bark and branches of trees, BUT they are not able to draw nutrients from soil the way the roots of other plants do. Instead, T. bulbosa has a special layer of fuzzy hairs on its leaves called "Trichomes" that catch moisture and nutrients from the air, or from fog, dew, or the rain. The trichomes can also protect T. bulbosa from getting a sunburn when it gets too hot, and they work like a layer of insulation when it gets too dry by helping to hold moisture inside T. bulbosa.

You may already know this, but Tillandsia bulbosa gets its name from the round, bulb-like shape at the base of the plant. The round base of T. bulbosa is hollow, and one of its functions is to serve as a home for ants. The ants live inside the hollow part of T. bulbosa, and in exchange for the shelter it provides to the ants, T. bulbosa receives several benefits. One benefit is that the ants defend T. bulbosa from other insects, and another is that the ants leave behind waste inside T. bulbosa. Although it doesn't sound like a good thing, it is actually a great thing for T. bulbosa. Here's why: the waste left behind by the ants works like fertilizer, by providing T. bulbosa with nutrients that it needs. So, this is another way that T. bulbosa is adapted to growing without soil.

The relationship between T. bulbosa and the ants is a good example of symbiosis. Symbiosis is a word for a beneficial relationship between two different species of organisms. But to get even more specific, there is a term for plants that have special relationships with ants - such plants are called "myrmecophytes" ("myrmeco" is the Ancient Greek word for "ant," and "phyte" refers to plants).

Like many plants in the Bromeliad family, T. bulbosa only blooms once in its lifetime. When T. bulbosa blooms, it produces flowers and seeds. The seeds have a soft, cotton-like material attached to them that works like a parachute. When the wind blows, the seeds of T. bulbosa are carried away to other trees where they can land and begin to grow. But that is not the only way T. bulbosa reproduces. After T. bulbosa blooms, small, baby T. bulbosas grow right out of the sides of the old one.

Well, that is all I know about T. bulbosa!

Good luck with your project!

Mike

Mike,
Good boy! Excellent project - well researched and very informative. A++

'On ya for helping this young lady.

Good luck with your project Roz. We need more young people interested in the wonderful world of bromeliads. But be careful you don't get bitten by the brom bug too badly - because then all other schoolwork will get neglected!

Cheers,
Kerry