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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Lauderdale, Florida » Invasive Plant Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #212378
Title: Rare naturalization of an ornamental Tillandsia, Tillandsia ionantha, in southern Florida

Author
item Pemberton, Robert
item LIU, HONG - UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

Submitted to: Selbyana
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/15/2007
Publication Date: 12/15/2007
Citation: Pemberton, R.W., Liu, H. 2007. Rare naturalization of an ornamental Tillandsia, Tillandsia ionantha, in southern Florida. Selbyana, Vol. 28, Issue 2, September 2007, pgs. 150-153.

Interpretive Summary: The naturalization of exotic species is an important problem because of their potential to become pests of human activities or of native environments. One third of Florida’s flora is comprised of naturalized plants and the ecological damage and cost of management is great. We report the naturalization of Tillandsia ionantha (Bromeliaceae), an escaped ornamental from Mexico and Central America, in southern Florida. A total of 63 rosette clusters of plants were found on 31 Australia pine trees adjacent to a Mangrove forest at Anne Kobe Nature Center in Dania Beach, Florida. The presence of flowers and germinating seeds indicate that the population is reproducing sexually. No pollination agent(s) is known for this pollinator-dependent species at this location. This is only the second reported case of naturalization of Tillandsia. This a new record for the state’s flora. It is important to detect and report new naturalizations of exotic species so that they may be monitored and/or controlled while their populations are incipient.

Technical Abstract: We report here the naturalization of a Mesonamerican bromeliad Tillandsia ionantha in Broward County, in southern Florida. This species is a popular ornamental bromeliad. A total of 63 clusters of plants were found on 31 Australia pine trees adjacent to a Mangrove forest at Anne Kobe Nature Center in Dania Beach, Florida. The presence of flowers and germinating seeds indicate that the population is reproducing sexually. No pollination agent(s) is known for this pollinator-dependent species at this location. This is only the second reported case of naturalization of Tillandsia.