''Tillandsia baileyi'', commonly known as the reflexed airplant or Bailey's ball moss, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

bromeliad The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a Family (biology), family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the Tropics, tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and on ...

that is

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

to southern

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, is a state in Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 43 municipalities. It is located in nor ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. It is found along the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

from

Kingsville, Texas Kingsville is a city in the South Texas, southern region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Kleberg County, Texas, Kleberg County. Located on the U.S. Route 77 in Texas, U.S. Route 77 corridor between Corpus Christi, Texas, Corpus C ...

Tampico, Tamaulipas Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fifth ...

. Preferred host plants for this

epiphyte An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

include Southern live oak (''

Quercus virginiana ''Quercus virginiana'', also known as the southern live oak, is an evergreen oak tree endemic to the Southeastern United States. Though many other species are loosely called live oak, the southern live oak is particularly iconic of the Old South. ...

'') and Texas ebony (''

Ebenopsis ebano ''Ebenopsis ebano'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, that is native to the coastal plain of southern Texas in the United States and eastern Mexico. It is commonly known as Texas ebony or ''ebano'' (in Spanish language, Span ...

'').

Cultivars

* ''Tillandsia'' 'Borumba' (''T. baileyi'' 'Texas' × ''T.'' 'Druid') * ''Tillandsia'' 'Califano' (''T. baileyi × T. ionantha'') * ''Tillandsia'' 'Festubail' ('' T. festucoides × T. baileyi'') * ''Tillandsia'' 'Halley's Comet' * ''Tillandsia'' 'Kanyan' ('' T. intermedia × T. baileyi'') * ''Tillandsia'' 'Mark Aldridge' (''T. baileyi'' × ''T. capitata'' 'Maroon') * ''Tillandsia'' 'Rosalie Mavrikas' (''T. baileyi × T. schiediana'') * ''Tillandsia'' 'Tiaro' (''T. baileyi × T. seleriana'') * ''Tillandsia'' 'Veronica Orozco' (''T. baileyi × T. caput-medusae'') * ''Tillandsia'' 'Wallu' (''T. baileyi × T. achyrostachys?'')

References

baileyi Flora of Tamaulipas Flora of Texas Endangered flora of the United States Endangered biota of Mexico Endangered flora of North America Plants described in 1903 {{Tillandsia-stub

Cultivars

See also

References