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Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) is not a mossThis is an article about the plant. For other uses, see Moss (disambiguation Andreaeidae Sphagnidae Tetraphidae Polytrichidae Buxbaumiidae Bryidae Archidiidae Moss is a type of simple or nonvascular plant, of the class Musci in the division Bryophyta, tha at all, but a flowering plantMagnoliopsida Dicots Liliopsida Monocots The flowering plants (also angiosperms or Magnoliophyta are one of the major groups of modern plants, comprising those that produce seeds in specialized reproductive organs called flowers, where the ovulary or carp in the Family Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) that grows hanging from treeThis article is about the biological organisms known as trees. For other meanings of the word see tree (disambiguation). oak tree in Denmark A tree can be defined as a large perennial woody plant. Though there is no set definition of size, it is generally branches in full sun or partial shade from the Southeastern United StatesThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in through ArgentinaArgentina is a Spanish-speaking country in southern South America, situated between the Andes in the west and the southern Atlantic Ocean in the east. It is bordered by Paraguay and Bolivia in the north, Brazil and Uruguay in the northeast and Chile in th -- wherever the warm climateThe climate is the weather averaged over a long period of time. A descriptive saying is that "climate is what you expect, weather is what you get". The IPCC glossary definition is: : Climate in a narrow sense is usually defined as the “average weather”, o has a relatively high average humidityHumidity is the amount of moisture in the air. It can be expressed as absolute humidity which is the mass of water in a specified volume or mass of air, or more commonly as relative humidity which is the absolute humidity divided by that absolute humidity. The plant thallus consists of thin, curved or curly, heavily scaled "leaves" that grow vegetatively in chain-like fashion (pendant) to form hanging structures up to several feet in length. The plant lacks roots and the flowers are tiny and produced rarely. It propagates mostly by fragments that blow on the wind and stick to tree limbs (or are carried by birdFor other meanings of bird see bird (disambiguation). Many see text Birds are bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrates characterized primarily by feathers, forelimbs modified as wings, and hollow bones. There are almost 9000 known species of birds ins as nesting material). Spanish Moss is not a parasite like mistletoe, but rather an epiphyte ( air plant), which absorbs nutrients (especially calcium) and water from the air and rainfall. It can grow so thickly on tree limbs that it gives a somewhat " gothic" appearance to the landscape, but it rarely harms the trees (except for the extra wind resistance in hurricanes).

Spanish Moss is sometimes bought for use in arts and crafts, or for beddings for flower gardens, but the plant in its natural habitat can contain chiggers (which burrow under human skin and cause considerable itching). At one time, some 5000 tons of Spanish Moss were harvested and used in the U.S. alone. The plant is susceptible to air pollution.