Now, about that moss...

Anyone who comes to Savannah is going to notice the long, curly moss hanging from just about every tree. There is so much of it here in the south that it has kind of become synonymous with the southern gothic theme. It's one of the things I love about the area here. Definitely creates a 'mood'.

I've had several people ask me why there is so much Spanish Moss on the trees here. "Was it brought over to the US from elsewhere at some point, and if so who brought it and when?" "Why do I only see it here?" I, of course, had no clue. Decided to look it up and post what I find here. What I found is rather interesting, and I hope it answers some questions for the interested parties.

'Spanish Moss' is neither a moss or a lichen. It is actually an 'epiphytic' plant, which means it grows on the surface of other plants. An angiosperm that is part of the bromeliad family. It is referred to as an 'air plant' as it gets its nutrients from the air and rain. It flourishes in the south because of the humidity, and can be found in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, eastern North Carolina, southeastern Virginia, South Carolina, Texas, and Alabama.

It was not brought here, and is indigenous to the South. According to the info I found, here is how it got its' name:

When the French first arrived in Louisiana, they asked the Indians about the strange hair-like plant. The Indians said that it was 'Tree hair'. The French said that it reminded them of the long black beards of the Spanish explorers who came before them, and that a better name was 'Spanish beard'. It didn't take long for this name to be seen as ridiculous, so it was changed to 'Spanish moss'.

So there is my 'Reader's Digest' version of the information I found online about 'Spanish moss'. There is actually more info. It's pretty interesting if you dig that sort of thing. I do. If you'd like to read all of it with your own little peepers, here are the two primary links I perused:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_moss
http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/Spanish_moss/spanmoss.htm