The leaves of this species of Tillandsia are light green and silver-gray in color and are short with tapered ends.

[12] Tillandsia paucifolia are angiosperms[13] with flowers that range from a pale pink to a lavender-blue color.

[14] With increased visitation from animal pollinators, these epiphytes are more likely to receive more genetically varying pollen, leading to better quality seeds.

[16] Heavily infested host trees can undergo states of nutritional stress caused by these epiphytes (Benzing 1978).

When present in large numbers, T. paucifolia can also cause limb breakage and excess shade on their host trees.