PINEAPPLE FAMILY (Bromeliaceae)
SPANISH MOSS BALL MOSS
Chiefly air-plants, some rigid-leaved land plants; floral leaves often conspicuous; 3 sepals; 3 petals; stamens 3-6; pistil 3-celled.
Spanish Moss (Dendropogon usneoides) has long zig-zag stems hanging in gray masses from the branches of many trees, especially live oaks, from the Coastal Plain of the United States to South America. Sometimes called Florida-moss, wool crape, crape-moss, and long moss, it has long been renowned in literature and industry. Indians and pioneers found many uses for it, and it is still used for padding, fodder for cattle, decoration, and the making of mattresses. The short leaves are scattered on the slender stem, which may be 1-6 yards long. The fragrant flowers are small and inconspicuous, being about ¼ inch long, blooming in early summer. The name means “tree-beard.”
Ball Moss. Bunch Moss (Tillandsia recurvata) has small and inconspicuous purple flowers which appear in the summer. Like the Spanish moss, it gets its nourishment from the air but may injure trees by crowding out the leaves. Both mosses bear no relation to the true mosses but belong to the same family as the pineapple. The ball moss is found on trees, wires, rocks, and other places. Bailey’s bunch moss is a large-flowered form growing in the lower Rio Grande Valley.
SPIDERWORT FAMILY (Commelinaceae)
GIANT SPIDERWORT PRAIRIE SPIDERWORT
Mostly succulent herbs with tuberous or fibrous roots; flowers arising from a cluster of leaf-like bracts; sepals 3; petals 3; stamens 6; ovary 3-celled; fruit capsular.