Fabulous Spanish Moss Facts & Folklores

Tillandsia usneoides is a common element in southern landscapes. It is a member of the Bromeliaceae or pineapple family. This includes species as diverse as the pineapples, Spanish moss and a carnivorous relative native in Australia. Bromeliads are members of the plant division of Magnoliophyta (the flowering plants). Most southerners are somewhat familiar with Spanish Moss but may not notice that it actually flowers with delicate blossoms. Because Spanish moss produces flowers, it is evident it is not a moss at all. They are dainty, little, fragrant blossoms.

You can use Spanish moss in your landscape. Of course, it's fun for Halloween decorating, and so appropriate for adding that gentle, southern atmosphere and charm to your landscaping. It is used by floral designers, crafters, facilities that house animals, birds and reptiles for habitat enhancement.

As a master gardener, my wife can attest that these are perennial herbs, meaning they don't have permanent, woody stems above the gound, but can reproduce without human intervention. Like many other bromeliads, these are air plants or epiphytes. They hang on branches or other structures. As some assume, they are not parasites at all. Moisture is absorbed through the scales of the leaves with the scales acting as pumps.

Spanish moss will grow well on wires, fences, trees and other non-living structures. They are also well adapted to growing on trees, even dead trees. These epiphytic plants have ecological significance. It grows at the rate of two to three feet a year.

As you can see from the photos, Spanish moss LOVES the Live Oak trees and it is common to see this as a host tree. As you can also see in the photos, our acreage is a haven for Spanish moss as we have Live Oaks that enjoy our landscape.

Should you like to order some moss from our eBay store, the moss you receive will be a combination of green and gray. It will be live and in varying lengths gathered from our trees the day your order is packaged. The living portion is covered by grey-green scales which resemble foam rubber. Dead portions of the plant look somewhat like black horsehair. It was actually once used to stuff furniture, mattresses and automobile seats.

If you place a single strand of Spanish moss on a flat surface, it will reveal that is has scorpoid dichotomous growth patterns, the result of an alternate branching of the plant at each growth point and it forks at each.

Spanish moss reproduces by seeds and vegetative growth. When small portions are broken off, they will begin to grow new plants. Seeds disperse between December and March.

The flowering takes place in spring on the terminal ends of Spanish moss, usually a single flower on each plant. The yellow green blossoms are inconspicuous but do have a pleasant, subtle fragrance when grouped together. The flowers last about four days and are followed by development of the seed capsules, which can release 2-23 seeds the following winter.

Spanish moss is very valuable to the wildlife. It is a significant component of the nests of several species of birds including the parula warbler and the Baltimore oriole. Many species of birds use strands of moss in their nest building. We've seen it is the nests that the squirrels construct in our yard as well. It provides a hiding place for other animals and insects. Many bats use the festoons of Spanish moss for cover and for their daytime resting sites.

An excellent decorative moss to use to hide mechanics of flower arrangements and wreath making. It also adds a natural look to potted plants while preventing dehydration of top soil.

I've been told by some of my customers that when they place Spanish Moss around their potted plants, their cats leave the "dirt" alone and don't attempt to scratch or "pottY" in it. Not sure if this is an actual "proven" theory, but several customers do order it for that reason and insist that it keeps the cats out of the dirt in the pots!

Many choose Spanish Moss for its soft, graceful, lacy look. It's flexible, light in weight, and silver-grey in color. We enjoy using it outside here in south Florida. It loves growing in our may live oak trees in the humid conditions but we also use it inside to decorate bromeliads and other plantings. It is lovely around plants we place on the pool deck and we put on top of the orchid bark in our orchid pots. Just be sure to mist the moss a couple times a week if used inside. Inside air is often very dry, especially if in air conditioning or a heated environment.

Here is what Wikipedia has to offer on Spanish Moss