Ball Moss = Tillandsia recurvata
Family: Bromeliaceae (Pineapple family)
8/31/14 Lauderhill
10" ball shaped cluster of carved, tangled and
silver-scaled stems and leaves.
Rootless, it needs physical support from other plants,
but it doesn't take nutrients and water from its host,
but from the atmosphere and rain.
It causes no harm to the host trees.
= Epiphyte
8/24/14 Plantation
Flower is purple and has three petals
Quill-Leaf = Tillandsia fasciculata
Family: Bromeliaceae
Native to Central America, Mexico, West Indies
24" grows on Cypress and Pine trees,
flowers are 6", red and yellow.
8/31/14 Lauderhill
Spanish Moss = Tillandsia usneoides
Family: Bromeliaceae
Grows hanging from tree branches of
Live Oak or Bald Cypress trees.
The plant has a slender stem
(bearing alternate)
thin, curved and curly.
Heavily scaled leaves 2 - 6 cm(0.8" - 2.3")
Heavily scaled leaves 2 - 6 cm(0.8" - 2.3")
long and 1 mm(0.04") broad,
that grow in chain-like fashion
to form hanging up to 6 m(240").
It has been used for building insulation,
mulch, packing materials and
mattress stuffing.