The seeds of the moss have feathery appendages like dandelion seeds. This allows them to float through the air until they land on a good spot to grow: another tree. Spanish moss is more likely to propagate by fragmented pieces of plant called festoons.
When a festoon is broken off and carried off by wind or birds using it for nest material , it will begin to grow into a full plant if it lands in an acceptable place. But it has a great number of other uses. Native American women used it for dresses in the past. It can be used as an arbor roof or to hang over a chain-link fence for privacy, but since it will only live in trees, you have to replenish the supply as the moss dies.
American colonists mixed Spanish moss with mud to make mortar for their houses—some of which are still standing strong. Dried moss makes good tinder for fires, and you can make it into blankets, rope, and mattress filling. Mattresses filled with Spanish moss are noted for staying cool on a warm summer night. You generally see it most often along the coast, because it needs high humidity and mild winter temperatures to survive.
Why do you see it certain trees and not others? One additional factor is the willingness of the tree to be a happy host. Spanish moss can grow so profusely in a tree that it interferes with photosynthesis by blocking sunlight from reaching the leaves.
Spanish moss is commonly found on oak and cypress trees, but can grow on other plants as well. Many homeowners think that Spanish moss kills their trees. This is not the case because the moss is not parasitic. The only thing Spanish moss uses trees for is support.
If you observe tree decline after heavy infestations of Spanish moss, the trees are usually declining because of a different factor. In fact, tree decline can cause Spanish moss growth as the canopy thins and lets in more sunlight for the moss to grow.
However, unlike most epiphytic Tillandsia which have roots that act as anchors, Spanish moss does not have any roots at all. Many epiphytes have roots that anchor them to their host tree. Instead, Spanish moss uses tiny scales on its leaves and its curved structure to cling to its host tree. Each individual Tillandsia usneoides is at most 6 cm long and 1 mm wide. The individual plants cling to one another creating huge structures that hang from trees.
The flowers on each plant are minuscule, however, on large growths of spanish moss they can create a noticeable fragrance at night, during late spring and early summer. Spanish moss reproduces in two ways: through seed and, like many other bromeliads, by producing pups.
Pups are small copies of the plant that grow from an original. Spanish moss spreads to new locations through various methods. Seeds are structured so that they are easily caught by the wind and land in the bark of new trees. Also, portions of growing Spanish moss are carried off by the wind or birds to a new tree. Once there the plant will continue to propagate vegetatively. Spanish moss tends to prefer two common southern trees: live oaks and bald cypress. It will, however, grow on most trees if the conditions are right.
Spanish moss is not parasitic and therefore does not harm the trees directly. The plant obtains its own nutrients. But large growths of Spanish moss can block out the sun and hinder photosynthesis in the leaves of host tree occasionally causing minor damage. Spanish moss can hold significant amounts of water and becomes very heavy when wet. This can also lead to damage and broken limbs. Spanish moss prefers warm climates with high humidity.
Humidity and rain are essential for the plant to be able to grow. Spanish moss has special scales found on its leaves,called trichomes that help it take in water and other nutrients.
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