YOU ARE HERE: HOME / LANDSCAPING / TREES & SHRUBS / HOW TO GROW SPANISH MOSS
How to Grow Spanish Moss
1 COMMENT
spanish moss growing
If you live in or have ever visited parts of the Deep South, you will likely be familiar with the gray, hairlike strands dangling from many of the trees. This eerie plant is Spanish moss. Known as “itla-okla,” or “tree hair” by indigenous Americans, Spanish moss grows on other trees to thrive. Despite its need for a host, Spanish moss is not a parasite—it is an epiphyte. The plant does not send roots into the host tree and it does not draw nutrients from the tree. Learn more about air plants.
Despite its name, Spanish moss is neither Spanish nor moss; Spanish moss is native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and parts of the southern United States from Texas to Virginia. It is considered a flowering plant, a member of the same family as pineapples and succulents. The plant is made up of slim stems with scaled leaves that grow to create a hanging structure. Although the plant produces brown, green, or yellow flowers, they are difficult to spot.