Spanish moss
Tillandsia usneoides
USDA zones8 to 11
SunHandles full sun or partial sun or full shade
WaterNeeds moderate soil
Size3 to 20 feet tall1 to 3 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Habit
- Herb
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- Pale blue or green
- Foliage color
- White-gray
Garden uses
Notes
Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) is a houseplant for rain gardens, with cascading gray stems. It is hardy to USDA zone 8, or down to 10°F (-12°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and average moisture. It is an air plant, not a parasite, because it makes its own energy from the sun. Its gray scales help it absorb nutrients, and many of them come from the leaves of the host tree. The flower is small and easy to miss.
Pairs well with Laurel oak, Loblolly pine, and Asiatic jasmine.
Native range
Tropical Americas.