Spanish Moss

Also known as Old Man's Beard, Grandpa's Beard, Greybeard

Spanish moss drapes elegantly from the branches of southern oaks and bald cypress trees, absorbing water and nutrients directly from the air and rain through specialized silver-grey scales called trichomes. Lacking true roots, this epiphytic bromeliad uses its curly, threadlike stems to anchor itself without parasitizing its host tree. Tiny, inconspicuous pale green flowers bloom in the summer, releasing a subtle fragrance at night to attract insect pollinators.