Air pineapple, also known as iron orchid, is called air pineapple because it grows in the air and has nothing to do with soil and can purify the air.

(Air Phoenix) The abbreviation of English name Airplant. It is a CAM perennial evergreen herb of air bromeliaceae, mostly aerial or epiphytic plants.

The biggest difference between this plant and ordinary plants is that it has no root system, and the water and nutrients it needs are completely absorbed by the stomata on the leaves. If they are planted in soil or water, they cannot survive. Flowers and leaves are very special, and leaves have evolved special forms, including water storage tissue, scale leaves, reduced number of leaves, root degradation and so on. They have strong adaptability to adversity, and can withstand drought, light, wind, shade, heat and cold; No pot, no soil, no mosquito breeding; It is a plant attached to tree trunks, stone walls and even cacti.

Species: Air pineapple contains nearly 550 original species and 90 varieties, as well as countless hybrids. The plant size varies greatly, ranging from 3 cm to 3 m, the average plant diameter is about 3-20 cm, and the maximum plant diameter can reach 1 m.

Air pineapples are mainly distributed in America, from Virginia in the eastern United States to southern Argentina through Mexico and Central America, and most of them come from Latin America. This wide distribution range shows its strong adaptability; Many species inhabit swamps, tropical rainforests and foggy forests, and some live in arid and hot deserts or rocks, trees and cacti, telephone poles, wires in mid-air and rocks. They extend thousands of miles as epiphytes, and their traces extend from sea level to mountains of two or three kilometers. Some few native species are confined to a single valley or mountain area. Because of their special growing environment, most native species of phoenix grow in dry environment.

At present, all the plants on the market are cultivated artificially, and only a few plants grown in the original areas are sold in Central and South America. Some native species are even included in the protected species of the Washington Convention, such as Dictyophora. Air pineapple grows in a wide range of environments, so different varieties have their own favorite environments. Most species grow in dry environment, while a few prefer wet environment.

Air pineapples can generally be classified according to their appearance:

Varieties with thick and hard leaves and silvery white can adapt to dry and sunny environment;

Varieties with soft leaves, slightly silvery white and reddish leaves prefer the environment with high humidity but not too strong sunshine;

Varieties with greener leaves and wider leaves like high humidity and cool environment.

The main flowering period of air pineapple is from late autumn to early spring (origin). Different varieties of air pineapples bloom in different seasons, and all different types of air pineapples will have different flowering periods, which are completely influenced by genetic factors and have nothing to do with climate. Green-leaf varieties can be cultivated indoors for a longer time than silver-gray leaves until they bloom. Silver leaf varieties must have a direct sunlight environment in order to grow and bloom normally. Some varieties will produce pineapples of different shapes and colors. Pineapples are about the size of peanuts, and they are very beautiful. After flowering (sometimes during flowering), plants will grow into offspring, and seedlings will grow up gradually by absorbing nutrients from the trunk of the mother plant. A group of plants is a combination of a mother plant and multiple generations of offspring, which will not be separated.