PULSE The Magazine
of Mount Dora, Eustis and Tavares

Natural Florida

Spanish Moss

by Mary C. Miller
photo copyright Gregory Scott

The inconspicuous flowers develop into capsules. The capsules split open and release tiny seeds to the breeze.

Seeds easily grab hold and develop in textured bark. Oak and cypress are especially welcoming landing places. Even small pieces of moss may attach themselves and continue to grow. Fence posts, telephone poles and other odd places with small fissures are also vulnerable.

Spanish moss extends from the southeastern United States through Argentina and Peru. Most scientists agree, Tillandsia usneiodes originated in Peru.

Uses, Then and Now: In the 1700s, when Europeans first arrived in North and North Central Florida, the Timucua Indian women were wearing clothes made from this “moss.”

In the early 20th century it was used to stuff auto upholstery, furniture and even mattresses. It was also a highly desired packing material. Today, Spanish moss is primarily sold for use in craft projects and floral arrangements. Some claim it is still used to make voodoo dolls.

Humans aren’t the only ones who found a use for the long moss. Some species of birds, including owls and egrets, use it for lining their nests. Other birds nest directly in the large masses.

Misconceptions: When Spanish moss almost completely covers a tree, the moss itself is not hurting the tree. The lack of photosynthesis, caused by so much shade, can damage the tree.

Another potential problem occurs because this Tillandsia can absorb water 10 times its dry weight. During seasons of heavy rains, this added weight may cause branches to break.

Despite these unfortunate instances, this plant is not a parasite and does not actually kill trees. Spanish moss takes its nourishment from the air and water, not from the host.

A Word of Caution: Before you gather wild long moss, keep in mind chiggers are another creature that loves Spanish moss. Chiggers are the larval form of a mite, closely related to ticks. (According to some sources, they are only in moss on the ground.)

Early use of Spanish moss in mattresses is the origin of the saying “Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite!” Those “bed bugs” were chiggers.

You can’t see them, but if you have them, you will get red blotches and itch unmercifully. And no, the old myth of putting nail polish on chiggers to kill them, will not work.

Folklore: In New Orleans, small packets of long moss are sold with differing versions of the following tale: According to legend, an Indian brave and princess lived on the banks of the bayou. When the princess died, she was buried at the base of a live oak tree. The grieving brave hung her long black braids on the tree limb to mark her grave. With time the braids turned grey and the wind carried the strands from tree to tree. All the oak trees continue to weep to this day.

Spanish moss myths and stories exist everywhere, especially where the greybeard grows. Some of them seem to overlap, but the outcome is the same. Beards, locks and braids turn into moss.

Tillandsia usneiodes has become an integral part of the history and romance of our southern states. I doubt you will ever read a novel based in the South without reference to “moss laden oak trees.” Enjoy it for what it is, a lovely plant gracefully garlanding our trees and giving homes to some of our beloved (and not so be-loved) creatures.

Photo by Steven P. Hlavac

Exrta Online only content below...

The Acadians and "Spanish Beard"

On Jerilee Wei's web page she tells how Acadians learned to use Tillandsia u. early on. These are a few of the unique uses she mentioned:

Toilet paper - the toilet paper we use today didn't come into common use until the late 1800s;
Home insulation - they called it bousillage;
Woven cloth - useful for rags and clothing.

Another bit of folklore comes from Jim Nelson, on the Florida west coast.

A Cuban man went to the Charleston, SC area with his Spanish fiancée in the 1700s to start his own plantation. The most striking feature of his bride-to-be was her beautiful, flowing raven hair. Feeling threatened by so many newcomers, the then native Cherokee Indians, killed them both.

As a warning to others, the Indians cut off her hair and placed it in an oak tree. It gradually turned gray and spread throughout the tree. Wherever the Cherokees went, this "hair" moss followed them; eventually chasing them from their homeland of South Carolina.

Jim also shared the following delightful video on YouTube of Peruvians in Moss Outfits during a parade in Peru:

More on Spanish Moss and Jim can be reached at http://www.squidoo.com/spanishmoss

Henry Ford and the Spanish Moss Fable

Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were good friends. They shared many hours and stories together in Ft. Myers where both had winter homes. Today, when you tour the Edison estate you likely will hear the story of how Ford stuffed the seats of his first Model T with Spanish moss. The docents then jokingly add, "The Spanish moss prompted the first automotive recall when chiggers started crawling out and biting drivers on the butts."

A Georgia Moss Poem

We don't know who the author T.S.Y. is, but we liked his poem (taken from a Glynn County, GA publication.)

The Legend of Spanish Moss Glynn County, GA

A villain there was named Gorez Goz
Who journeyed here from Spain.
The natives feared him much because
His heart was set on a gain.
Gorez espied an Indian maid
Who filled his fondest hope.
He bought her for a yard of braid
And a little bar of soap.
The Indian maid was sore afraid
And fled this bearded brute.
She sped o'er hill and field and glade
With Gorez in pursuit.
At last the maiden climbed a tree;
The Spaniard did the same.
The lass was bent on being free;
Gorez desired his claim!
She balanced on a slender limb
Then dove into the brook.
She much preferred a morning swim
To this bearded Spanish crook.
The troubles of Gorez begin,
His naughty plans are queered.
He snags the whiskers of his chin
The branches hold his beard.
The Indian maiden thus is free,
Gorez's life is a loss,
But his beard lives on for you to see
As dangling Spanish Moss!
~ T. S. Y.

Botanical Notes

Tillandsia usneiodes is a perennial herb. (This means it does not have permanent woody stems.) It is also an epiphyte. Epiphytic plants use other plants to support them.

Although they do not actually derive nourishment directly from the trees, as a plant with roots may; they do take advantage of living on trees that have high rates of foliar leaching.

Many question, "If it's not the moss that's killing them, why do dead trees have so much moss on them?"

Since it is not a parasite, the theory offered on the FloridaSpanishMoss.com site may make sense.

"Spanish moss grows in more abundance on dying trees or branches because there are higher rates of foliar mineral leaching of nutrients as the tree dies … "

"Real" Moss

Because real moss has no flowers or seeds, it propagates itself through spores. These spores act like tiny seeds and spread soft green beauty across the ground, over rocks and often up tree trunks. Real moss and Spanish moss are not related.

What Else Lives in the Moss?

In addition to the creatures previously mentioned, bats and rat snakes also favor living in clumps of moss. And lastly, there is a species of jumping spider, Pelegrina llandsiae, that only lives in Spanish moss.

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