[Illustration: SPANISH MOSS BALL MOSS]
Chiefly air-plants, some rigid-leaved land plants; floral leaves often
conspicuous; 3 sepals; 3 petals; stamens 3-6; pistil 3-celled.
Spanish Moss (_Dendropogon usneoides_) has long zig-zag stems hanging in
gray masses from the branches of many trees, especially live oaks, from
the Coastal Plain of the United States to South America. Sometimes
called Florida-moss, wool crape, crape-moss, and long moss, it has long
been renowned in literature and industry. Indians and pioneers found
many uses for it, and it is still used for padding, fodder for cattle,
decoration, and the making of mattresses. The short leaves are scattered
on the slender stem, which may be 1-6 yards long. The fragrant flowers
are small and inconspicuous, being about ¼ inch long, blooming in early
summer. The name means “tree-beard.”
Ball Moss. Bunch Moss (_Tillandsia recurvata_) has small and
inconspicuous purple flowers which appear in the summer. Like the
Spanish moss, it gets its nourishment from the air but may injure trees
by crowding out the leaves. Both mosses bear no relation to the true
mosses but belong to the same family as the pineapple. The ball moss is
found on trees, wires, rocks, and other places. Bailey’s bunch moss is a
large-flowered form growing in the lower Rio Grande Valley.