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Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides)

Tillandsia usneoides is a hanging epiphytic perennial herb that typically lacks roots when mature and forms trailing masses from slender stems. It is an evergreen perennial.

LightSources differ on light recommendations, ranging from full sun to bright indirect light; indoor and greenhouse guidance tends toward bright indirect light, while other sources also describe full-sun or partly sunny condi
WaterTillandsia usneoides mainly obtains moisture from rain and humid air through absorptive scales on its leaves and stems; in suitable outdoor conditions it may need no additional watering, while indoors it needs occasional
HumidityIt is generally reported to need good airflow.
TemperatureRHS reports a hardiness classification for Tillandsia usneoides.
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Overview

Tillandsia usneoides is a hanging epiphytic perennial herb that typically lacks roots when mature and forms trailing masses from slender stems. It is an evergreen perennial.

Origin and habitat

Sources differ somewhat on its native range, describing Tillandsia usneoides as native across tropical to subtropical parts of the Americas, from the southern United States through Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean into South America, with multiple sources extending the range to Argentina. It grows mainly as an epiphyte on tree branches and other elevated supports, occurring in settings including lowlands, swamps, wetlands, moist pine-forest edges, mangroves and montane cloud forests; in humid places it may form dense masses and can also attach to cacti, rock faces, utility wires and other atypical supports. Its distribution is mainly associated with warm tropical to subtropical climates and generally with relatively high environmental humidity.

Characteristics

Sources differ on mature height, giving a range of about 400–800 cm, while a single source reports a mature spread of about 400–800 cm. It is generally reported to grow slowly and has slender, linear to nearly cylindrical leaves that are often curved or curled, with silvery, dense trichomes that give the plant a gray-white to silvery-gray appearance, especially when dry. Sources differ in their descriptions of the very small, inconspicuous, usually solitary flowers: yellow-green, pale yellow-green and pale blue are relatively consistently supported, other colors have also been recorded, and some sources report fragrance; flowering has been reported from late spring through summer into autumn. A single source reports cylindrical capsules and seeds with tufts of hair that aid wind dispersal and attachment to rough bark.

Light

Sources differ on light recommendations, ranging from full sun to bright indirect light; indoor and greenhouse guidance tends toward bright indirect light, while other sources also describe full-sun or partly sunny conditions.

Watering

Tillandsia usneoides mainly obtains moisture from rain and humid air through absorptive scales on its leaves and stems; in suitable outdoor conditions it may need no additional watering, while indoors it needs occasional watering and should dry between waterings. Misting is a supported watering method, and RHS greenhouse guidance recommends misting with rainwater from late spring to mid-autumn. A single source reports that the plant should dry promptly after watering.

Humidity and airflow

It is generally reported to need good airflow.

Temperature and dormancy

RHS reports a hardiness classification for Tillandsia usneoides.

Growing medium and mounting

Cultivation sources describe well-drained conditions; as an epiphyte, Tillandsia usneoides normally grows attached to branches or other supports. It is suited to being mounted.

Feeding

In suitable outdoor conditions it may need no fertilizer; indoors, diluted liquid fertilizer may be used periodically, while RHS greenhouse guidance recommends a diluted low-nitrogen liquid fertilizer from late spring to mid-autumn.

Propagation

Tillandsia usneoides can be propagated by seed or vegetatively, and in practice fragments or stem pieces readily establish; under natural conditions, fragments can also be carried by wind or birds to other supports.

Common problems

RHS reports that significant pest problems are generally absent, although other information notes that insects may inhabit harvested plants. A single source generally reports no significant disease problems. A single source reports that excessively heavy masses may increase the risk of supporting branches breaking or cause excessive shading; cultivation also requires sufficient humidity, and NC State reports a need for a relatively unpolluted environment. It favors warm, relatively humid conditions, and USDA information describes a comparatively long minimum frost-free period.

Identification

Tillandsia usneoides forms masses of interconnected, slender, silvery-gray stems and leaves that hang from supports and can resemble a beard, moss or Usnea lichen, but it is a flowering plant in the bromeliad family; mature plants typically lack roots.

Photos

Tillandsia usneoides
📷 Geoff Gallice from Gainesville, FL, USA · CC BY 2.0 · source
Tillandsia usneoides
📷 yakovlev.alexey from Moscow, Russia · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Tillandsia usneoides
📷 psweet, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by psweet · CC BY-SA · source

Sources