Their leaves, more or less silvery in color, are covered with specialized cells (trichomes) capable of rapidly absorbing water that gathers on them.

They have a natural propensity to cling to whatever surfaces are readily available: telephone wires, tree branches, bark, bare rocks, etc.

Due to their epiphytic way of life, these plants will not grow in soil but live on the branches of trees, in deserts and on other substrates that will not be saturated with water for very long.

[5] Tillandsia are perennial herbaceous plants which exhibit a multitude of physiological and morphological differences making this a diverse genus.

Having native habitats that vary from being epiphytic and saxicolous, species have certain adaptations, such as root systems designed to anchor to other plants or substrates, and modified trichomes for water and nutrient intake.

[2] These leaf rosettes, a common physical characteristic in Tillandsia species, collect nutrients and water.

[8] The genus Tillandsia was named by Carl Linnaeus after the Swedish physician and botanist Elias Tillandz (originally Tillander) (1640–1693).

[2] Tillandsia was traditionally divided into seven subgenera:[9] In a more recent (2016) classification, the following subgenera are recognized:[10] Four species are protected under CITES II:[11] Tillandsia have naturally been established in diverse environments such as equatorial tropical rain forests, high elevation Andes mountains, rock dwelling (saxicolous) regions, and Louisiana swamps, such as Spanish moss (T. usneoides), a species that grows atop tree limbs.

[12] Green-leaved species of Tillandsia generally live in cool-to-humid climates, in areas of terrestrial shade or the lower levels of a forest.

They prefer the full sun and can therefore be found in the upper floors of the woods, on rocks or (rarely) on the ground.

[14] Species of Tillandsia photosynthesize through a process called CAM cycle, where they close their stomata during the day to prevent water loss and open them at night to fix carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

[17] Any root system found on Tillandsia has grown to act as a fragile stabilizing scaffold to grip the surface they grow on.

Thanks to this special survival trick, plants without roots can absorb fog droplets as well as rainwater and thus cover their water needs.