What is Spanish moss, and how did it earn its name?
Perhaps you’ve gazed up at Sunshine State trees and noticed long, curly strands of organic material dangling and swaying in the breeze. Maybe you’ve wondered, “What are those scraggly strings?”
Or perhaps you already know that it’s Spanish moss, an air plant seen far and wide from southern Virginia to the Bahamas to tropical regions of Latin
America. The bromeliad thrives in areas with high humidity and rain, gathering what it needs to survive from the environment around it.
Here are a few things you might not know about Spanish moss.
Legend has it
What’s in a name? When the French arrived in what we now call America, Native Americans told them this natural material was called “tree hair.” The French then called it Spanish beard, as it reminded them of the facial hair of earlier explorers.
Legend has it that the Spanish took to calling these strands “French hair,” and another name was “gray beard.”
One tall tale describes the story of a “villain” named Gorez Goz, a Spaniard who chased a Native American woman and got his beard stuck in a tree.
In Hawaii, where it was introduced in the 19th century, Spanish moss is sometimes known as “Pele’s hair,” which refers to a Hawaiian goddess.
Otherwise, this magical dangling flora also serves as a signal of both natural and cultural life in the south as it’s seen from Virginia to Texas.
Moss or not?