Texas Gardening: Texas Native Plant Pictures by color ( Other & Bicolor ), 1 by htop

htop wrote:
Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides), Bromeliaceae Family, Texas native, perrenial, blooms in late spring through early summer, blooms are inconspicuous (chartreuse to blue)

Spanish moss tendrils can grow to 25 feet in length is "Unlike ball moss, Spanish moss does not develop the very dense growth around the limbs and for that reason is not considered to be a problem on trees." (Texas Cooperative Extension Horticultural Service,Texas A&M University). The scaly covering receives and holds moisture, enabling the plant to dispense with roots. Birds and the wind carry fragments of the plant to new locations which is in all probility the commonest means of propagation. The seed pod opens in winter releasing dozens of fluffy seeds that drift in the wind. Many kinds of birds use pieces of Spanish moss for nesting material and/or to conceal their nests. The yellow-throated warbler and northern parula intertwine their nests into the moss itself. Their nests look like tennis balls hanging in the tendrils. Egrets, owls, mockingbirds and squirrels use Spanish moss for nest bedding. Spanish moss serves as a place to roost for several species of bats and one species of spider, the Pelegrina tillandsiae, inhabits only Spanish moss. Chiggers and rat snakes which eat the roosting bats, live in the moss as well. Deer, wild turkey and horses eat it; however, it has little nutritional value.

Spanish moss has been used for many things. Native Americans used it as the first "disposable" diaper, and colonists used the moss mixed with mud to caulk their cabins. In the past, Spanish moss has been used for clothing, bulk livestock feed, bedding and mattresses and kindling for fires. Commercially processed Spanish Moss has been used as packing material, auto seat stuffing (Henry Ford used it in his first Model T seats; but, it hasn't been used since 1975 for this purpose), saddle blankets, bridles, braids, and even filament to repair fishermen’s nets. Because it retains moisture so well and is a great source of nitrogen, it has always made an excellent mulch. It is also used in the arts-and-crafts trade. Herbalists use it in a tea to relieve rheumatism, abcesses and birth pains. In the past, doctors prescribed medicines containing Spanish moss extracts to treat diabetes. In 1998, research was being conducted by Northeast Louisiana University exploring uses of Tillandsia unsneoides to control blood glucose levels.

For more information, see its entry in the PlantFiles:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2060/index.html

Spanish moss growing in Brackenridge Park in San Antonio along with ball moss ...