“S” is for Spanish moss

“S” is for Spanish moss. Spanish moss is gray tree-borne epiphyte native to the coastal plain of the southeastern United States. As an epiphyte, Spanish moss gets water and food from the air and does not harm the host tree. It is not a true moss but a relative of the pineapple family. Spanish moss produces small, yellow green, three-petaled flowers in the spring in early summer. Seedpods, carried by the wind, typically lodge in the bark of rough-barked trees. Individual mosses can extend over twenty feet in length and are host to red bugs and spiders. Many people find Spanish moss restful and comforting, while to others it suggests more sinister feelings. Draped in live oaks and cypress, Spanish moss is a familiar and evocative symbol of the South Carolina lowcountry.