Tillandsia ionantha is a bromeliad native to Central America that is classified as vulnerable by the World Conservation Union. This epiphyte is well adapted to its rather unique ecological niche, growing attached to the high branches of trees where it receives exposure to the sunlight that the canopy of trees shades from the forest floor below. The leaves of Tillandsia ionantha possess tiny grayish-colored scales called trichomes that both store water until it can be absorbed and act to reflect intense sunlight from the leaf surface, thereby preventing excessive water loss through transpiration.
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