Attention Gardeners, are you looking for an air plant that will make your garden stand out? Look no further than the rubra air plant, also known as Tillandsia ionantha rubra is a beautiful air plant that belongs to the bromeliad family. This Ionantha rubra is a popular and highly sought-after variety known for its vibrant red coloration. This particular species is native to Central America, specifically Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador. 

Tillandsia ionantha rubra is a small-sized, firm-fuzzy air plant with compact rosettes that can reach up to 4 inches in diameter. The leaves are thin and narrow, and they have a striking flush red-to-orange hue, especially when exposed to bright light. The rubra air plant color intensifies during its blooming period when it produces a stunning, bright red inflorescence with purple ionantha rubra blooms and yellow tips. 

Tillandsia caput-medusae is a species of flowering plant in the bromeliad family, Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. Common names include octopus plant and medusa’s head. An epiphyte native to Central America and Mexico, T. caput-medusae is a commonly cultivated bromeliad species. The thick, channeled, tapering and twisting leaves are up to 25 cm (9.8 in) long and are covered in fine gray hairs. The rosette of leaves arise from an inflated pseudobulb. Pups are produced after blooming, as is usual with most Tillandsia species.

In a greenhouse, the plants can bloom from spring to early summer. The red inflorescences are usually unbranched or digitate. Bright violet flowers are about 3.2 cm (1.3 in) long with the stamens exerted.

Tillandsia caput-medusae does not have any free water retention in its overlapping leaves because its abaxial and adaxial leaf bases provides trichomes which coats the leaves. The significance of trichome is to enhance leaf permeability