''Tillandsia utriculata'', commonly known as the spreading airplant or the giant airplant, is a species of

bromeliad The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, ...

that is native to Florida and Georgia in the United States, the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, southern and eastern Mexico ( Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Oaxaca, the Yucatán Peninsula), Central America, and Venezuela.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> Two varieties are recognized: #''Tillandsia utriculata'' subsp. ''pringlei'' (S.Watson) C.S.Gardner - eastern Mexico #''Tillandsia utriculata'' subsp. ''utriculata'' - most of species range Florida populations of ''Tillandsia utriculata'' are highly susceptible to attack by the invasive weevil ''

Metamasius callizona ''Metamasius callizona'', or the Mexican bromeliad weevil, is in an invasive species in Florida, USA that targets several species of bromeliad. This species is native to southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Panama, and was first documented in Florid ...

'', and have been devastated virtually throughout their range. ''Tillandsia utriculata'' holds more impounded water in its leaf axils, known as its tank, (up to a liter) than does any other Florida bromeliad. It is a major host of many species of aquatic invertebrates. With T, utriculata on a steady decline a loss of habit is occurring for many of these animal species.Cooper, T.M., Frank, J.H., Cave, R.D. (2014) Loss of phytotelmata due to an invasive bromeliad-eating weevil and its potential effects on faunal diversity and biogeochemical cycles. Acta Oecologica 54: 51-56.

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* * utriculata Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of the Southeastern United States Flora of the Caribbean Flora of Central America Flora of Venezuela Flora of Mexico Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Tillandsia-stub