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{{SPlantbox
| latin_name = ''Tillandsia usneoides''
|familia=Bromeliaceae
| common_names = Spanish moss
|genus=Tillandsia
| growth_habit = ? <!--- tree, shrub, herbaceous, vine, etc -->
|species=usneoides
| high = ? <!--- 1m (3 ft) -->
|taxo_author=L.
| wide = <!--- 65cm (25 inches) -->
|common_name=Old man's beard, Spanish moss
| origin = ? <!--- Mexico, S America, S Europe, garden, etc -->
|name_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
| poisonous = <!--- indicate parts of plants which are known/thought to be poisonous -->
|habit=bromeliad
| lifespan = <!--- perennial, annual, etc -->
|habit_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
| exposure = ? <!--- full sun, part-sun, semi-shade, shade, indoors, bright filtered (you may list more than 1) -->
|Max ht box=24
| water = ? <!--- frequent, regular, moderate, drought tolerant, let dry then soak -->
|Max ht metric=in
| features = <!--- flowers, fragrance, fruit, naturalizes, invasive -->
|height_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
| hardiness = <!--- frost sensitive, hardy, 5°C (40°F), etc -->
|Max wd box=4
| bloom = <!--- seasons which the plant blooms, if it is grown for its flowers -->
|Max wd metric=in
| usda_zones = ? <!--- eg. 8-11 -->
|width_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
| sunset_zones = <!--- eg. 8, 9, 12-24, not available -->
|exposure=shade
| color = IndianRed
|sun_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
| image = Spanish moss at the Mcbryde Garden in hawaii.jpg
|features=flowers
| image_width = 180px <!--- leave as 240px if horizontal orientation photo, or change to 180px if vertical -->
|flower_season=early summer, mid summer, late summer
|flower_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
|flowers=blue, purple
|Temp Metric=°F
|min_zone=11
|usda_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
|max_zone=12
|image=Spanish moss at the Mcbryde Garden in hawaii.jpg
|image_width=200
}}
}}
'''Spanish moss''' (''Tillandsia usneoides'') is a [[flowering plant]] that grows upon larger [[tree]]s, commonly the Southern Live Oak (''[[Quercus virginiana]]'') or Bald Cypress (''[[Taxodium distichum]]'') in the [[southeastern United States]].
Spanish moss closely resembles its [[Specific name|namesake]] (''[[Usnea]]'', or beard lichen), but in fact it is not biologically related to either [[moss]]es or [[lichen]]s. Instead, it is an [[angiosperm]] in the family [[Bromeliaceae]] (the bromeliads) that grows hanging from tree branches in full sun or partial shade. Formerly this plant has been placed in the genera ''Anoplophytum'', ''Caraguata'', and ''Renealmia''.<ref>[http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?12153 Genus: Tillandsia L.], GRIN Taxonomy for Plants, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.</ref> It ranges from the [[southeastern United States]] (southern [[Virginia]] and eastern [[Maryland]]) to [[Argentina]], growing wherever the [[climate]] is warm enough and has a relatively high average [[humidity]].
The plant consists of a slender stem bearing alternate thin, curved or curly, heavily scaled [[leaf|leaves]] {{convert|2|–|6|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|1|mm|in|abbr=on}} broad, that grow vegetatively in chain-like fashion (pendant) to form hanging structures up to {{convert|6|m|in|abbr=on}}<ref>http://www.floridata.com/ref/T/till_usn.cfm</ref> in length. The plant has no [[aerial root]]s <ref>http://www.floridata.com/ref/T/till_usn.cfm</ref>and its [[flower]]s are tiny and inconspicuous. It propagates both by [[seed]] and [[Vegetative reproduction|vegetatively]] by fragments that blow on the wind and stick to tree limbs, or are carried by [[bird]]s as nesting material.
Spanish moss is an [[epiphyte]] (a plant that lives upon other plants; from [[Greek language|Greek]] "epi"=upon "phyte"=plant), which absorbs [[nutrient]]s (especially [[calcium]]) and [[water]] from the air and [[rain]]fall. Spanish moss is colloquially known as "air plant".
{{Inc|
{{Inc|
Tillandsia usneoides, Linn. Spanish, Florida, or Long Moss. Whole plant hoary-gray, hanging from trees, the sts. very slender and often several feet long: lvs. scattered, narrow-linear, 1-3 in. long: fls. solitary in the lf.-axils, small and not showy, the petals yellow and reflexed at the end. Trop. Amer. and in the U. S. from Texas to Fla. and E. Va.; extends southward to S. Brazil. —This is one of the most characteristic plants of our southern regions. In moist regions it gives a most weird aspect to the forests. It is used as a packing material, and also, when specially prepared, for upholstery. It is rarely cult., although it is not uncommon in greenhouses, being hung on branches and beams; but it must be renewed frequently. The plant is named for its resemblance to the lichen Usnea.
Tillandsia usneoides, Linn. Spanish, Florida, or Long Moss. Whole plant hoary-gray, hanging from trees, the sts. very slender and often several feet long: lvs. scattered, narrow-linear, 1-3 in. long: fls. solitary in the lf.-axils, small and not showy, the petals yellow and reflexed at the end. Trop. Amer. and in the U. S. from Texas to Fla. and E. Va.; extends southward to S. Brazil. —This is one of the most characteristic plants of our southern regions. In moist regions it gives a most weird aspect to the forests. It is used as a packing material, and also, when specially prepared, for upholstery. It is rarely cult., although it is not uncommon in greenhouses, being hung on branches and beams; but it must be renewed frequently. The plant is named for its resemblance to the lichen Usnea.
==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery perrow=5>
Image:Spanish moss.jpg|Spanish moss growing on an oak tree.
Image:DirkvdM orosi mossy tree.jpg|Spanish moss in [[Costa Rica]].
Image:Upload.png| photo 1
Image:Sp_moss_CU_th.jpg|Close-up of Spanish moss.
Image:Upload.png| photo 2
Image:Spanish-moss-tree.jpg|[[Quercus virginiana|Southern Live Oak]] with Spanish moss hanging from it.
Image:Upload.png| photo 3
Image:Mousse espagnole en Louisiane.JPG|Spanish moss in [[Louisiana]].
Image:Peles Hair.jpg|{{okina}}Umi{{okina}}umi-o-Dole with a [[taro]] leaf background.
Image:Spanish moss sg.jpg|Spanish moss on a tree at a park in [[Singapore]].
Image:Spanish_moss_sc.jpg|Spanish moss growing on a tree on [[Hilton Head Island, South Carolina]]
Image:Sp moss CU th.jpg|Closeup
Image:Sp moss CU th.jpg|Closeup
</gallery>
</gallery>
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