Spanish moss

Spanish moss
Tillandsia Til*land"si*a, n. [NL., after Prof. Tillands, of Abo, in Finland.] (Bot.) An immense genus of epiphytic bromeliaceous plants confined to tropical and subtropical America. They usually bear a rosette of narrow overlapping basal leaves, which often hold a considerable quantity of water. The spicate or paniculate flowers have free perianth segments, and are often subtended by colored bracts. Also, a plant of this genus.

Note: {Tillandsia usneoides}, called {Spanish moss}, {long moss}, {black moss}, and {Florida moss}, has a very slender pendulous branching stem, and forms great hanging tufts on the branches of trees in the Southeastern United States and south to Argentina. It is often used for stuffing mattresses [1913 Webster + Webster 1913 Suppl.]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Spanish moss — Moss Moss (m[o^]s; 115), n. [OE. mos; akin to AS. me[ o]s, D. mos, G. moos, OHG. mos, mios, Icel. mosi, Dan. mos, Sw. mossa, Russ. mokh , L. muscus. Cf. {Muscoid}.] 1. (Bot.) A cryptogamous plant of a cellular structure, with distinct stem and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Spanish moss — Spanish Span ish, a. Of or pertaining to Spain or the Spaniards. [1913 Webster] {Spanish bayonet} (Bot.), a liliaceous plant ({Yucca alorifolia}) with rigid spine tipped leaves. The name is also applied to other similar plants of the Southwestern …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Spanish moss — ☆ Spanish moss n. a rootless epiphytic plant (Tillandsia usneoides) of the pineapple family, often found growing in long, graceful strands from the branches of trees in the SE U.S. and tropical America …   English World dictionary

  • Spanish moss — Taxobox name = Spanish moss image width = 250px regnum = Plantae divisio = Magnoliophyta classis = Liliopsida ordo = Bromeliales familia = Bromeliaceae genus = Tillandsia species = T. usneoides binomial = Tillandsia usneoides binomial authority …   Wikipedia

  • Spanish moss — Tillandsia usneoides Tillandsia usneoides Systematik Ordnung: Süßgrasartige (Poales) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Spanish moss — kedeninė tilandsija statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Bromelijinių šeimos dekoratyvinis, vaistinis augalas (Tillandsia usneoides), paplitęs Šiaurės ir Pietų Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Tillandsia usneoides angl. Florida moss; long moss;… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • Spanish-moss — kedeninė tilandsija statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Bromelijinių šeimos dekoratyvinis, vaistinis augalas (Tillandsia usneoides), paplitęs Šiaurės ir Pietų Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Tillandsia usneoides angl. Florida moss; long moss;… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • Spanish moss — an epiphytic plant, Tillandsia usneoides, of the southern U.S., having narrow, grayish leaves and growing in long festoons that drape the branches of trees. [1815 25, Amer.] * * * Epiphyte (Tillandsia usneoides) in the pineapple family, found in… …   Universalium

  • Spanish moss — noun dense festoons of greenish grey hairlike flexuous strands anchored to tree trunks and branches by sparse wiry roots; southeastern United States and West Indies to South America • Syn: ↑old man s beard, ↑black moss, ↑long moss, ↑Tillandsia… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Spanish moss — Air plant Air plant (Bot.) A plant deriving its sustenance from the air alone; an a[ e]rophyte. [1913 Webster] Note: The Florida moss ({Tillandsia}, many tropical orchids, and most mosses and lichens are air plants. Those which are lodged upon… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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