Epiphyte (Air Plant)

Description:

Epiphytic plants are sometimes called "air plants" because they do not root in soil and 89% of epiphyte species (about 24,000) are flowering plants. Epiphytic plants attach to their hosts high in the canopy and have an advantage over plants restricted to the ground where there is less light and herbivores may be more active. Epiphytic plants are also important to certain animals that may live in their water reservoirs, such as some types of frogs and arthropods.

Habitat:

Tillandsia utriculata is commonly known as the Spreading Air-plant. It is native to Florida in the United States, the Caribbean, southern Mexico, Central America, and Venezuela.

Notes:

This was spotted in the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in Ft. Myers, Florida.