An Air Plant That Commands Attention

“There is something of the marvelous in all things of nature.” -Aristotle

If you are looking for something unique to greet your house guests as they come to your door, this crazy looking tillandsia (air plant) is bound to make an impression! This fragrant air plant, called Tillandsia Duratii, is found in a few countries in South America but it looks like it came from another world. Who knows, maybe it originally did.

Click for larger view!

The most interesting feature of the Duratii is the way the leaves curl into spirals which is what helps give the plant support as it grows in it’s natural habitat.

We mounted our Duratii on an a piece of wood that I use to have in my aquarium over fifteen years ago. It’s been sitting in a box in the garage ever since ….that is until my partner found it and had to stick a plant on it (no piece of wood escapes his need to glue a plant to it ….ever).

As usual, we used the E6000 glue to secure the plant to the piece of wood. Glue the side of the Duratii at the base.

You will want to tie or clamp the Duratii to the wood to allow time for the glue to dry. If you use something to clamp it as we did, don’t clamp it too tightly! Just make it snug enough to hold it in place or else you’ll crush the plant. If there is any glue that you can still see, you can camouflage it by covering it with a little bit of sheet moss before it dries.

I have to say, taking pictures of this Duratii is not easy! It proved very difficult to capture it’s true uniqueness in any single photo. To really appreciate this tillandsia you would have to see it in person. I expect to see one on Lady Gaga‘s head any day now….that’s how weird and cool this Duratii is.

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