Spanish Moss & Tree Relationships
Spanish moss, a long silvery natural growth, drapes from oak trees and bald cypress trees around the world. Spanish moss is not actually a moss, but an angiosperm in the family Bromeliaceae. Does this Spark an idea?
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Features
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Live oaks, cloaked in Spanish moss, coat the Southern landscape. Spanish moss grows from long, horizontal tree branches. Live oak trees, named for their often centennial lifespans, are the most iconic trees wearing the shimmering growth because of their height and outward spread.
Relationship
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Spanish moss is not a parasite. Moss clings to the tree for support, but it is not directly attached to the tree in a give-and-take relationship: The moss receives no nourishment from the tree.
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Misconceptions
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Rather than a moss growth, Spanish moss is a actually an epiphyte. Spanish moss absorbs water and food from the air directly though its stems and leaves. Some orchids and ferns share characteristics with Spanish moss: The growth spreads on the tree limbs as a place to live, not as a place to feed.
Geography
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The silvery bearded moss grows on trees in the southeastern U.S. Wherever a climate is warm with high average humidity, the moss will grow and drape the largest oaks in parks.
Fun Fact
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Georgia's state tree is the southern live oak. Its long, almost perfectly horizontal branches make an ideal home for Spanish moss to hang. Tourists travel to see Georgia's oak trees wearing the iconic moss.
Warning
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According to the U.S. Forest Service, Spanish moss can accumulate in such great quantity it can shade out lower parts on the tree. The shading interferes with the photosynthesis process, which requires direct sunlight. Gardeners can control the spread of Spanish moss by spraying a chemical that cuts back the lichen growth.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Kevin Trageser/Photodisc/Getty Images Live Oaks and spanish moss 3 image by Jorge Moro from Fotolia.com
