Spanish Moss: A Puzzling Plant
What's in a name?
Spanish moss is something of a misleading puzzle. Why was a plant that is not a moss nor from the country of Spain given such a name? It is in fact native to the Southeastern United States as well as to several countries throughout Central America and South America (PLANTS Profile). The adjective “Spanish” for this plant most likely derived from when French explorers took the original native name for the plant, which was “tree 
hair,” and changed it to “Spanish Beard” as an insult to their Spanish competitors (Adams [updated 2007]). The other confusing and somewhat deceptive part about Spanish moss’ name is that it is not a moss. It is a perennial flowering plant that grows as an epiphyte off of the branches of oaks and pines (Gurevitch et al. 2006, PLANTS profile). Another biological fact about Spanish moss is that it reproduces through sending seeds that are dispersed by wind and birds. These seeds then get stuck in tree branches where they can begin to grow into new plants (Christman 1999). Since the title “Spanish Moss” does not actually make sense in itself, it can also be referred to by its scientific name, Tillandsia Usneoides. However, this plant has many other common names, a few of which are long-moss, Florida moss, wool crape, Graybeard, Old Man’s Beard, and Grandfather’s Whiskers (PLANTS profile).
Spanish moss can reach up to several feet in length.
[Photo taken by A. Germano in Florida. 2007]
Where it is found
Spanish moss is a common plant found in the temperate coniferous forest biome in the Southeastern United States (G200 Maps [updated 2007], PLANTS profile). However, it can also be found in parts of Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, the Bahamas, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, and other South American and Caribbean countries (Tillandsia Usneoides [updated 1999]). Although it is native in these places, it has also been introduced to other countries. There are a few locations where it has become an invasive plant, such as in Raiatea Island, Tahiti Island, and O‘ahu Island (Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk [updated 2006]).
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This is a map of Spanish moss distribution in the United States. The blue areas are where it is present and, in all these cases, where it is also native.
[Source: PLANTS Profile]
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The many uses of Spanish moss
Humans have been very creative in the numerous ways that they have used Spanish moss for their own purposes. Native Americans used the inner fibers of the plant to make rope, bedding, and blankets. They also used the plant for making fire arrows, toys, and teas. More recently, it has been used for flower arrangements, mulch, packing material, and also as fodder for livestock. However, people aren’t the only
organisms that have benefited from this plant. The Seminole bat sleeps in it and several birds, such as the Yellow-throated warbler and the Northern Parula, use it for their nests. Also, there is at least one type of spider that will only live in this plant (PLANTS profile).
Why Spanish moss is amazing
I worked at Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, Florida over this past summer. Spanish moss seemed to pop up everywhere in this part of the country and it would always catch my eye. I chose this plant to do my report on because I was always fascinated by how from far away the plant looked like it was made up of longs strings but from up close the plant seemed to be made up of very tiny pieces that were somehow magically attached together. I wanted to find out more about how the anatomy of this plant worked as well as about the origin of its misleading name.
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A close up on the curly leaves of Spanish moss.
[Source: Christman 1999]
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Habitat description
As previously mentioned, Spanish moss is found in the temperate coniferous forest biome in the Southeastern United States. However, the accompanying map shows that, in general, the temperate coniferous forests are found primarily in the Northwest and in the Southeast of the country. This habitat is usually found in locations that have warm summers and cool winters. Another characteristic of it is its heavy rainfalls with locations near the coast; however it can be dry if it is in mountainous regions (Temperate Coniferous Forest Ecoregions [updated 2006]). The amount of precipitation ranges from 50 – 200 inches per year which leads to a long growing season in these areas. Along this line, the soils are often rich due to a substantial layer of decaying organic matter (Forest Habitat).
This map shows the different terrestrial biomes in the U.S. Spanish moss can be found throughout the temperate coniferous forest biome in the southeastern U.S.
[Source: G200 maps for downloading [updated 2007]]
There are two main sections to the temperate coniferous forest: an overstory layer and understory layer. The understory is made up of different grasses, forbes, and ferns while the overstory is made up of larger trees such as pines, cedars, cypress, and redwoods (Temperate Coniferous Forests [updated 2007]). Fire plays in an important role in maintaining the ecology of the area, especially with the understory plants (Temperate Coniferous Forest Ecoregions [updated 2006]). As suggested by its name, some temperate coniferous forests are dominated by coniferous evergreens, but others can be a mixture of these along with broadleaf evergreens and broadleaf deciduous trees, such as maples. Some of the fauna of this biome includes deer, elk, black bear, spotted owls, and salmon (Forest Habitat).
Threats to Habitat
There are many threats to the temperate coniferous forests and the World Wildlife Fund has listed it as under “high threat” (Southeastern Conifer Forests [updated 2001]). In the United States, there are over 40 coniferous tree species found in these forests (Nix 2008). Many of these trees have commercial uses and if they are harvested in an unsustainable manner, it can have devastating consequences on the environment. Obviously, as more and more of these forests are logged unsustainably, the makeup of the area will be entirely different, with less and less of these forests existing. For example, many of the long-leaf pine forests were cut down and were “replaced with monoculture plantations of slash pine,” which aren’t able to support the amount of biodiversity as well as the previous forest (Southeastern Conifer Forests [updated 2001]).
Another threat to the temperate coniferous forests is developmental activities (Forest Habitat). These could include anything from new roads to a change into agriculture to takeover by suburban sprawl. Over 98% of this type of forest in the southeastern U.S. has been lost to agriculture and tree farms. Also, due to development, there has been an increase in the fragmentation of these habitats, resulting in a few larger preserved areas but with roads and cities in between them (Southeastern Conifer Forests [updated 2001]).
Fire suppression, or not allowing natural fires or prescribed burns take place, is another threat to this habitat. Without fires to encourage the native species and to weaken the exotic plants, the land slowly transforms itself into a hardwood forest (Southeastern Conifer Forests [updated 2001]). This results in the loss of more temperate coniferous habitat.
The introduction of invasive species, such as kogon grass, also affects the integrity of the habitat. The more invasive species crowd out native ones, the more the entire landscape of the forest has the possibility of changing. There is also a threat to the animals that live in this habitat due to the illegal hunting of black bears and fox squirrels as well as the killing of poisonous snakes (Southeastern Conifer Forests [updated 2001]).
Resolving the Habitat Threats
As far as the commercial cutting of trees in forests is concerned, this can be combated through sustainable practices from “well-managed forests, as certified by the Forest Stewardship Council” (Forest Habitat). Trees can be harvested in a way that does not completely destroy the habitat and encourages future sales as well. Another option to solving this problem is to conserve as many of these habitats as possible through authorizing them as Strategic Habitat Conservation Areas so that they can be protected under the law (Southeastern Conifer Forests [updated 2001]).
To lessen the effects of fragmentation, an effort should be made to identify and purchase corridors between large forests. These corridors should also receive protection under the conservation effort so that they can be protected from further damage. Also, locate existing roads, including “forest roads,” and destroy any that are unused so as to increase the amount of continuous coniferous forests (Southeastern Conifer Forests [updated 2001]).
In order to stop coniferous forests converting into hardwood forests, it is important that fire be allowed to happen on these lands. Land managers and forest officials who have the training to conduct prescribed burns should do so as needed on the different areas (Southeastern Conifer Forests [updated 2001]).
Works Cited
Forest Habitat [Internet]. Washington, DC: Defenders of Wildlife. [cited 2008 Mar 1]. Available from http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/habitat/forest.php
Gurevitch J, Scheiner SM, Fox GA. 2006. The Ecology of Plants. Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates. p. 33.
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