Nature's Own Miracle: Air Plants an Emerging Ornamental Wonder
Dhanush Swaroop Sadhu
Kittur Rani Channamma College of Horticulture, Arabhavi, University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot, Karnataka (591 218), India
Mahantesha Banvat Netaji Naika*
Kittur Rani Channamma College of Horticulture, Arabhavi, University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot, Karnataka (591 218), India
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54083/ResBio/3.1.2021.69-73
Keywords: Air plants, Epiphytes, Ornamental, Tillandsia, Trichomes
Abstract
In the plant kingdom, air plants are indispensable creations of nature and recently gaining popularity. Due to their uniqueness in absorption of water and nutrients through fuzzy trichomes present on leaf surface, that sets them far apart from other plants and belongs to epiphytic group. They have a reputation of being well known accumulators of heavy metals present in the air and therefore, acts as an excellent biomonitors for purifying the atmosphere. In addition to their medicinal values, their appearance itself makes them aesthetic and a signature ornamental plant as they grow dangling in air without any soil as a substrate. These are low maintenance plants as they require watering once or twice in a week. So they make up a good specimen in a florist’s collection of ornamental wonders. This review article highlights interesting facts about air plants, its maintenance and usefulness.
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