

It is a Tillandsia, an epiphytic flowering plant belonging to the Bromeliad family.

*Spanish Moss is not a moss at all, making this subject more confusing. Because it looks so similar, it is easy to think this native dangling gray-green growth is the same living organism known as Spanish Moss*. Such drapery is often encountered here on our Northern California trees, sometimes subtly framed by our beautiful fog, lending even more beauty to our outdoor environs.

Spanish Moss conjures a romantic vision of softly swinging festoons on gnarled oak branches. What are the long stringy plants I see hanging from some trees? They look like Spanish Moss but I’ve heard that doesn’t grow in California.
