Tillandsia tricolor var. melanocrater (Air Plant)

Tillandsia tricolor var. melanocrater earns its name from one of the most layered bloom displays in the genus. The species name tricolor refers to the three distinct colors visible in the inflorescence: the base bracts are green, the upper bracts turn vivid red, and the tubular flowers emerging from them are purple-violet. Melanocrater refers to the dark center or cup of the rosette, a deep, almost black-green at the base of the leaves that adds yet another color element to the plant's character. Native to Mexico and Central America, it grows into a firm, upright rosette of narrow, stiff green leaves with a silvery cast from trichome coverage.

The bloom spike is tall relative to the plant body and persists for several weeks, making tricolor one of the more rewarding tillandsias for gardeners who want extended ornamental value. After flowering, the plant produces pups readily, so a specimen grows into a clump over time.

Water by soaking once or twice a week for 20 to 30 minutes, then shake out water from the crown.