Why does Spanish moss only grow on hardwoods like live oak?

Question

Why doesn't it grow as often on pine trees, and never on trees like palm? what features of the live oak make it a good candidate for Spanish moss growth?

Answer 1

You have made a very interesting observation that I had never thought of.  First, Spanish Moss is the common name for Tillandsia usneoides, a member of the pineapple family.  It is not actually a moss but is a flowering plant.  Once a year you can find a tiny red flower on the end of the strands.  It is an "airplant" and grows on trees as a epiphyte, not a parasite.  It just uses the tree for a place to hang and grow and doesn't harm the tree.

I found an article in the American Journal of Botany from 1977 which explains that certain trees like live oak and cypress have an abundance of minerals which they leach out through their leaves.  The pine trees do not do this.  Studies of Spanish Moss in oak groves and pine forests show that the Spanish Moss is more abundant and has a higher mineral content than the Spanish Moss in the pine forest.

Thank you for a very interesting question.

<1254:MCATNO>2.0.CO;2-U&size=LARGEhttp://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-91...

Answer 2

Spanish moss?...sounds biology related...

Sounds to me like someone has a lab report to complete....and by the looks of it, it must be due 2moro because only desperate people ask for scientific info on YahooAnswers-- and ur desperate because this LAB is due 2moro and u probably have no idea as to what to write.

I'm good eh?? PICK ME AS BEST ANSWER (even if I'm wrong) PLEEEEZE

-I don't  have any info for you but u should gimme 10 points for insightfulness....come on!! ^_^

Answer 3

Spanish moss is an epiphyte (a plant that lives upon other plants; from Greek "epi"=upon "phyte"=plant),

Spanish moss is not propagated by seeds but by fragments or festoons. These fragments are carried from tree to tree by birds and the winds. Birds frequently use strands of moss in building their nests, and in this way distribute the festoons. Evergreen trees seldom have moss on them, for the their thin green needles tend to ward off the festoons carried by the winds or dropped by birds. In the fall and winter when other trees lose their leaves, fragments of moss can attach themselves to the bark. Evergreens don't lose their needles for this to happen.

Spanish mosses are sometimes referred to as air plants because most have aerial roots; however, Spanish-moss does not have any roots. It uses its long, thin, scaly stems to wrap around the host tree and hang down from the branches. The leaves are covered with cup-like, permeable scales that 'catch' moisture and nutrients from the air and from pockets on the surface of the host. This water-trapping ability allows Spanish-moss to withstand long dry periods. In extreme dry spells, the plant becomes dormant until moisture returns.

It ranges from the southeastern United States (southern Virginia and eastern Maryland) to Argentina, growing wherever the climate is warm enough and has a relatively high average humidity.

Answer 4

Tillandsia is known to grow on just about anything, however, due to the canopy of oaks being usually so large, there is more surface area to catch and allow for the germination and establishment of Tillandsia.

My best guess.

Answer 5

I think it has to do more with the area the tree is in rather than the tree itself.

http://www.gardenguides.com/plants/plant...