What is Spanish Moss?
Spanish moss is a rootless, flowering, fibrous air plant that hangs from the bountiful branches of live oaks and cypress trees. The non-parasitic plant draws no nutrients from the organism that it lounges on; it relies only on sunlight, minerals from rainwater, and dust particles from the air (Ballantine, 1978). During rainy, high humidity months such as July and August, the plant is able to absorb the most moisture, allowing its gracious green coloring to shine through. When the weather is on the dry side and the plant has utilized the last of its stored moisture, the scales dry out and turn an almost silver-gray color (Ballantine, 1978). Spanish moss is a safe harbor for many animals and insects including birds, frogs, and beetles; but beware of trombiculidae (chiggers,) which will infest Spanish moss that is low hanging or has touched the ground!
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| Live Oaks and Spanish Moss. |
You can find the plant beginning in coastal Virginia, spanning the Southern coast of the United States, all the way through Central America, and down to Argentina (Ballantine, 1978). The pervasive plant stretches much farther than most people realize, but the Lowcountry is the perfect habitat for Spanish moss. With its jungle gym-esque live oaks, the plant thrives in the Lowcountry's environment. But have no fear, no harm is intentionally brought to the oaks or cypress trees as the plant is non-parasitic. I say "intentionally" because there is still a possibility that the plant could bear too much weight and pull a branch down or block the sun from reaching a tree, stunting the trees growth (Sprunt, 1964).
Nomenclature
Spanish moss has gone by many different names over the last few centuries. It may be referred to as a “moss,” but there are no mosslike qualities to this rootless, stringlike plant. Nor is the plant from Spain; it is native to the Americas and simply bears the “Spanish” name because the texture of the plant reminded early French explorers of the Spaniards' beards (Martinez, n.d.). It has previously been referred to as Dendropogon Usneoides or Renealmia Usneoides, both loosely translating to “tree beard resembling an Usnea lichen.” The current scientific name for Spanish moss is Tillandsia Usneoides (Ouchley, 2010). You may be wondering, why so many name changes? I asked the same question and did a bit of digging:
For many years - hundreds of years, in fact - the perplexing plant could not be placed into one specific genus (the biological classification after family.) It is an epiphytic plant, meaning it latches on to and grows from another plant (such as a live oak.) Epiphytes are commonly known as “air plants” and thrive off the air, minerals, and water surrounding them without bringing harm to their generous host plant (Ballantine, 1978). These specific qualities led scientists to determine that Spanish moss is actually a flowering air plant, placing it in the bromeliaceae family; which oddly enough makes Spanish moss and pineapples essentially cousins (Sprunt, 1964). This is how the “moss” went from Dendropogon to Renealmia, and now dons the name Tillandsia.
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| Live Oak Avenue, Beaufort, S.C. |
Common (and Not so Common) Uses
At a glance, the draping plant does not appear to have any uses other than to laze upon our vivacious oaks. However, Spanish moss has served various roles throughout its time on Earth.
The plant itself is utilized by many different animals. Squirrels and birds use it for nesting and protection. Bats enjoying roosting, or perching, upon a branch covered in Spanish moss for the safety it provides. There are even certain types of birds and jumping spiders that will exclusively live in Spanish moss, refusing to nest in any other material (Ouchley, 2010). Much like these animals, us humans have used Spanish moss for bedding, packing material, blankets, and even insulation. Indigenous tribes of the Lowcountry fashioned the long, threadlike material into clothing while the Acadians of Louisiana combined Spanish moss with mud to make bousillage, a mortar concoction used for insulation (Ouchley, 2010).
In Hoodoo Medicine: Gullah Herbal Remedies (1999), Faith Mitchell shares multiple ways that Spanish moss has been used by Gullah people over the centuries. In one example, the entire plant was placed into a bath for an invigorating soak. For high blood pressure, the moss was brewed in water and drank as a tea. For sprains, the plant alone was wrapped around the issue area or mixed with clay and vinegar and spread across the sprain.
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| Materials available in the BDC. |
Spanish Moss and the Civil War
While scouring the BDC for Spanish moss-related materials, I stumbled across the most fascinating title: Flora and Fauna of the Civil War: An Environmental Reference Guide by Kelby Ouchley, 2010. That may have been very nerdy of me to say, but I love nature and I love history, so it is intriguing to me! And it provided the perfect amount of information needed for this section!
For many soldiers, orders dispatched during the Civil War may have given them their first reason to journey South, where they encountered many new people, places, and things during their service. Ouchley includes excerpts of diaries, journal entries, and letters written by soldiers seeing Spanish moss for the first time.
Some soldiers incorrectly identified the plant as a parasite; almost all noted its dull coloring and the drab look it gave the atmosphere. On November 28th, 1864, Major James A. Connolly went as far as to say that the moss gave the trees “a gloomy, funeral appearance.” However, the soldiers were greatly appreciative of the comfort that the plant provided. Colonel Thomas W. Higginson (the white officer in charge of the 1st South Carolina Volunteers) described the moss that covered his living space and how it “keeps off the sun, & I have scarcely ever had such comfortable quarters.” Sergeant Taylor Peirce wrote his wife on January 29th, 1865, to say that he’s “got some of the long moss and have just as good a bed as I wish.” Ending his letter with a quip: “You had better think I am enjoying myself to-day.”
Some soldiers were so fascinated by the plant that they sent cuttings of it home to their loved ones, which did not always go as planned:
“That Moss I sent home was of a bright green color when I pulled it. It may change color.” - Private Isaac Jackson on May 17th, 1864.
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| BDC Print 82: The Great Oak on Bay Street by George F. Bauman |
Legends and Lore
As time has come and gone, stories have been passed down to explain how Spanish moss came to be and its many uses. Some tales are straightforward with simple reasoning for the plant’s appearance, while others can be quite eerie and cause one to gaze upon the trees with terror.
Remember what I said earlier, about how early French explorers saw the dangling plant and it reminded them of Spaniards beards? Well, from our Artificial Postcard Collection, we have a postcard that recounts the story of the bearded Gorez Goz and the creation of Spanish moss:
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| Postcard from the Artificial Beaufort Postcard Collection, 1900-. |
Another postcard from our Artificial Postcard Collection tells a whimsical tale of Santa Claus's visit to the Lowcountry. He traded his sleigh for a plane to bring presents to children who lived in the warmer climate. However, it was a little too warm for the magical figure:
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| Postcard from the Artificial Beaufort Postcard Collection, 1900-. |
According to urban legend, Henry Ford stuffed the seats of early Ford Model T automobiles with Spanish moss for extra padding. Soon after purchase, drivers began to complain of bites from trombiculidae, more commonly known as “chiggers.” Whether the air plant was poorly harvested or the bugs were dormant in the plant, the story tends to change. The detail that consistently remains the same is that this incident led to the first-ever automotive recall.
As interesting as this story is, I believe it may just be that: a story. I first stumbled across the legend in the 1978 publication of Woodland Walks: Everyman's Guide to the Forestscapes of Hilton Head Island by Todd Ballantine. Next, I took to the internet where I was unable to find any primary resources confirming or denying the claims. Other researchers have done their own investigations, even consulting Ford Motor Company's archivists who were unable to find any mention of such a recall. So, this tale may just have to remain a Lowcountry legend.
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| BDC's Spanish Moss Vertical File. |
Fast Facts
- Spanish moss has a slightly sweet scent that is more noticeable at night (Sprunt, 1964). If you look closely, you will see small flowers blooming from the plant. These flowers serve a very important purpose: They release this scent to attract many different insects such as bees, butterflies, and moths.
- Under prime conditions, Spanish moss grows at a relatively quick rate. When settlers first acquired land here, they found that their new home was overgrown with the plant. They quickly cleared their land, only to be greatly disappointed when it grew back almost instantly (Sprunt, 1964).
- This plant relies heavily on minerals and nutrients from the air. This means that when an area experiences an overgrowth of Spanish moss, it can be an indicator of good air quality. If there is significant air pollution in the area, the plant will not grow (Ouchley, 2010). Early explorers wrote of the "dreariness" that the plant's growth evoked; if only they knew how good they had it...
- Below is an engraving by Theodor de Bry titled "The French Left at Fort Charles Suffer from a Scarcity of Provisions." This is a part of a collection of etchings called "Theodor de Bry's Engravings of the Timucua" from the Florida Memory State Library and Archives. The etching depicts present day Parris Island. It is believed to be the first European depiction of an alligator, a palmetto tree, and (most importantly) Spanish moss (Sanders & Anderson, 1999). You can see a tree draped with Spanish moss in the center of the right-side island.
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If you are interested in any of the materials I have shared today or wish to explore our collection for yourself: walk-ins are sometimes accepted, while appointments are always encouraged. To make an appointment, send an email to bdc@bcgov.net or give us a call at 843-255-6468. We hope to hear from you soon!
Works Cited:
Ballantine, T. (1978). Woodland Walks: Everyman's Guide to the Forestscapes of Hilton Head Island. Island Events.
Martinez, R. J. (n.d.). The story of Spanish moss: What it is and how it grows. Hope Publications. [In VF SPANISH MOSS, Beaufort District Collection, Beaufort County Library, SC.]
Mitchell, F. (1999). Hoodoo Medicine: Gullah Herbal Remedies. Summerhouse Press.
Ouchley, K. (2010). Flora and Fauna of the Civil War: An Environmental Reference Guide. Louisiana State University Press.
Sanders, A. E., & Anderson, W. D. (1999). Natural history investigations in South Carolina: From colonial times to the present. University of South Carolina Press.
Sprunt. A. (1964). Carolina Low Country Impressions. Devin-Adair.