Tillandsia usneoides

Tillandsia usneoides

Family: Bromeliaceae
Common Names: Spanish Moss, graybeard, grandfather’s Whiskers
Origin: Tillandsia usneoides is native to the southern region of North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean islands.
Description: Tillandsia usneoides is an epiphytic herb with long thread-like silvery-grey stems and a weeping habit allowing it to hang from the branches of trees. Its leaves are not only very thin but grow with a twisted form only 1.5cm-3cm long (6). Both leaves and stems are a greenish hue but appear powdery grey under dry conditions (6). The entire structure of leaves and stems forms wiry tresses up to 25 feet long (6). Although Tillandsia usneoides lacks roots, its stems are covered in tiny hairlike structures, called trichomes, that catch moisture and debris, providing both water and nutrients (4,3,6). Stems also provide structural support, as they wrap around structures and allow the plant to attach to a substrate. Tillandsia usneoides produces tiny inconspicuous white flowers, and tiny black seeds (1). Its seeds possess a feather-like structure for wind dispersal. However, Tillandsia usneoides appears to propagate more readily from division (4,6).

Interesting Features:
- Tillandsia usneoides is often mistaken as a parasitic plant, but it is epiphytic, meaning it does not receive any nutritional support from the substrate it is anchored too, but rather takes in nutrients and moisture from the atmosphere. The “host” plant’s only use is for support, its relationship with an epiphyte is communalistic.
- Tillandsia usneoides is an excellent bio-indicator of air quality, used in the detection of metal pollutants (2). Since they receive all their nutrition from the air, the concentration of pollutants observed in its tissues correlates to the concentrations found in the atmosphere they inhabit (2)
- Uses: This plant is used by bats, reptiles, and amphibians for shelter, and many bird species rely on Tillandsia usneoides as an easily accessible material for nest-building (3). Historically, Tillandsia usneoides was once a popular choice for stuffing automobile cushions, mattresses, and sofas, as it was a very comfortable insulator and was believed to have cooling properties (4). Its fibers have also been dried and used for weaving textiles, as well as braiding rope (7). In modern times, Tillandsia usneoides’s use has shifted away from furniture upholstery, instead serving as an eco-friendly packing material for shipping (4). This plant is also used extensively in the floral industry as a decorative element and moisture retaining medium for floral arrangements (4). Tillandsia usneoides has also been used by Native Americans as an herbal remedy for heart, liver, and lung ailments. Modern research also supports the idea that Tillandsia usneoides does possess anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties (2).

Cultivation and Care:

Watering: Low
- Light misting every few days is recommended. It is considered semi-drought tolerant, as it can survive in a dormant state with prolonged drought (2). Tillandsia usneoides’s foliage will appear a light green color when adequately hydrated, and a powdery silver hue will indicate the need for watering.
Soil: Non-specific. Tillandsia usneoides is epiphytic and can survive on a wide array of substrates whether organic or inorganic.
- However traditional potting mediums should be avoided. For Tillandsia usneoides, hanging from a structure is optimal.
Lighting: Full sun or partial sun.
Propagation: Tillandsia usneoides can be propagated by seed, however it can more easily be propagated by division.
Cold Tolerance: 15-20° F, USDA hardiness zones 8b-11a.
Special Accommodations: Tillandsia usneoides prefers to be in moist environments, preferably by a body of water.
- This plant is not particularly picky concerning substrate, although it appears to favor growing on oak and cypress.

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