Spanish Moss

  Next time you find yourself in the hospital wearing one of those stylish backless gowns, take heart in knowing it could have been worse. Had you been a Florida aborigine with fevers, the local shaman might have wrapped you in Spanish moss and told you to hop on the grill while he lit a fire under it. Don’t you feel better?

  For thousands of years, Florida natives and the Euro-Floridians who followed have found many uses for Spanish moss. If there were such things as plant celebrities, Spanish moss would surely be a superstar.

  The name Spanish moss comes from early French settlers in Louisiana who called it barbe Espagnole, or “Spaniards beard”. The Spanish countered, calling it "Frenchman’s wig." Meanwhile, a Swedish botanist quietly entered the naming game.

  In the mid-1700’s, with the creation of Carl Linnaeus system of binomial nomenclature, that systematically organized all plants and animals and gave the Latin names, the business of naming Spanish moss was no longer in the hands of whimsical name-callers, but in those of high-browed academics with an eye toward serious science. So, with the pomp of a nobleman (which he was) Linnaeus stepped up to the proverbial plate and named the plant Tillandsia, in homage to his noble friend Tillands because of his tendency to barf (nobly, I'm sure) every time he got on a boat. Okay, so much for high–browed academia. In Linnaeus' day, botanists believed the tiny gray scales that sheathed Spanish moss’ wiry strands acted to repel water. It was later learned that the scales actually collect moisture and nutrients from the air, but by that time Tillands and his celebrated water-repelling stomach were firmly entrenched in the annals of botanical nomenclature. The species name, usneaoides, refers to its similarity to lichen called usnea or “old man’s beard”.

  Seen from a distance, the long festoons of Spanish moss waving lazily in the breeze give an easy, ethereal effect to any setting. Up close, however, all that southern charm is gone with the wind. Fluffy masses of wiry, gray strands evoke images of Einstein on a bad hair day. Look closer still and you might discover Spanish mosses best-kept secret--flowers. Many Floridians have lived entire lives against the backdrop of moss-draped live oaks without ever noticing the small greenish (sometime pale blue) blooms nestled among the strands. When you find one, take a whiff (but not too hard or the tiny bloom with disappear into your nose). The first time I smelled one, I recognized it immediately. While I had never been consciously aware of the scent, I knew it. Spanish moss blooms have probably scented every warm summer breath of my life,
 

   Early explorers were intrigued with Spanish moss--mainly because Indian women wore moss skirts and shawls draped loosely over their otherwise naked bodies. (Special note to any of you considering going "retro" and reviving this attractive fashion--over 160 species of insects, spiders, mites and other unfashionable critters are known to raise their annoying little families in this plant). In addition to clothing, the moss had other uses. Babies were sometimes bundled in it and a decoction of boiled moss was rubbed on the heads of newborns to give them curly hair. Later, simplers (folk healers who used plants for cures) used it for “female problems” and gallbladder ailments.

  While most of these folk remedies faded into obscurity, at least one bridged the gap between lore and science. In Louisiana, where Spanish moss tea was used by wild crafters as a treatment for diabetes, researchers have found that it reduces blood glucose levels in rats 4 – 8 hours after ingestion. To date, no diabetes drugs have been derived from Spanish moss, but research is ongoing.

  Another example of modern science propping up folklore is found in the use of Spanish moss as bandaging material by both American Indians and soldiers during the Civil War. Since that time, the plant has been found to contain an enzyme that breaks down dead tissue and enhances healing. It has also been found to have both analgesic and antibacterial properties. To top it off, tests at the Mayo Clinic showed that sterilized Spanish moss is more absorbent than an equal weight of cotton. And, we aren’t making Spanish moss bandages because  …?

  Perhaps the best known use of Spanish moss was as cushioning material for horse buggy seats and later, automobiles. In the late 19^th and first half of the 20^th centuries, a thriving cottage industry of gathering, curing and selling Spanish moss kept food on the tables of many Florida cracker families. Alachua County was at the heart of the trade. In Gainesville alone, three commercial ginning operations bought moss from private “pickers” and processed it for use by upholstery and car manufacturers.

  These days, having survived the simplers, moss pickers, and a devastating blight in the 1960’s and ‘70’s, Spanish moss has returned to doing what it does best – decorating our wild places with its graceful, southern charm and providing housing for warblers and countless little creepy-crawlies. Even chiggers need a home.