tillandsia

[ ti-land-zee-uh ]

/ tɪˈlænd zi ə /

any of numerous, chiefly epiphytic bromeliads of the genus Tillandsia, including Spanish moss and many species cultivated as ornamentals.

Origin of tillandsia

< New Latin (Linnaeus), after Elias Tillands, 17th-century Finno-Swedish botanist; see -ia

It is composed almost entirely of dead cane leaves, a little Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), and a few skeletonized leaves.

Life Histories of North American Wood Warblers Part One and Part Two |Arthur Bent
We spent half-an-hour in dragging the tillandsia from the trees, and collecting the soft leaves of the pawpaws.

The Quadroon |Mayne Reid
He next tore off several bundles of the tillandsia, and placed it over the spot thus wattled.

The White Chief |Mayne Reid
The insects in the water which ought to nourish the Bromeliad (Tillandsia) are really used by the Utricularia.

The Romance of Plant Life |G. F. Scott Elliot

The moss (tillandsia usneoides) served to calk the rude vessel of the first French colonists, longing for home.

Atlantic Monthly, Vol. XII. September, 1863, No. LXXI. |Various

tillandsia

/ (tɪˈlændzɪə) /

any bromeliaceous epiphytic plant of the genus Tillandsia, such as Spanish moss, of tropical and subtropical America

C18: New Latin, named after Elias Tillands (died 1693), Finno-Swedish botanist