Today's Flowers: Spanish Moss

From July 6, 2012

 I love this stuff for the way it catches the light.  I remember traveling South as a kid and seeing this junk for the first time. Dad said it was Spanish moss. Spanish moss meant we were definitely not in Connecticut anymore. We were definitely on an adventure. A far-away one.  A flat tire meant dealing with strangers, and warm weather was not merely a symptom of summertime. 

From July 6, 2012

I have often wondered if the stuff is a danger to the host tree. Finally, I did some homework and found out it is not. It has an impressive, independent life: It is an epiphytic plant, which grows on another plant, but does not rely on the host plant for nutrients; epiphytes make their own food. They are sometimes referred to as air plants because most have aerial roots; however, Spanish-moss does not have any roots. It uses its long, thin, scaly stems to wrap around the host tree and hang down from the branches. The leaves are covered with cup-like, permeable scales that 'catch' moisture and nutrients from the air and from pockets on the surface of the host. This water-trapping ability allows Spanish-moss to withstand long dry periods. In extreme dry spells, the plant becomes dormant until moisture returns.

This tree dates from 1545 and lives a happy life at Airlie Gardens in Wilmington, North Carolina.