Difference between revisions of "Tillandsia usneoides"

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===Use by animals=== <!--Herbivory, granivory, insect hosting, etc.-->
 
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Although not comprising a significant portion of their diet, ''T. usneoides'' is commonly found in the rumens of fallow deer throughout the year.<ref name="Morse et al 2009">Morse BW, McElroy ML, Miller KV (2009) Seasonal diets of an introduced population of fallow deer on little St. Simons Island, Georgia. Southeastern Naturalist 8(4):571-586.</ref>
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Although not comprising a significant portion of their diet, ''T. usneoides'' is commonly found in the rumens of fallow deer throughout the year.<ref name="Morse et al 2009">Morse BW, McElroy ML, Miller KV (2009) Seasonal diets of an introduced population of fallow deer on little St. Simons Island, Georgia. Southeastern Naturalist 8(4):571-586.</ref> Spanish moss can also be used as a food for cattle, especially in the winter when other food may be scarce.<ref name="Rafinesque 1830">Rafinesque CS (1828) Medical Flora; or Manual of the Medical Botany of the United States of North America. Atkinson SC, Philadelphia.</ref>
 
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Revision as of 12:10, 11 January 2018

Tillandsia usneoides
Tillandsia usneoides SEF.jpg
Photo by John Gwaltney hosted at Southeastern Flora.com
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Liliopsida - Moncots
Order: Bromeliales
Family: Bromeliaceae
Genus: Tillandsia
Species: T. usneoides
Binomial name
Tillandsia usneoides
L.
TILL USNE DIST.JPG
Natural range of Tillandsia usneoides from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common Name(s): Spanish-moss[1][2]

Taxonomic Notes

Synonym(s): Dendropogon usneoides[2]

Description

Tillandsia usneoides is an epiphyte[3] that typically is found hanging from the branches of trees.[1] It is classified as a monoecious perennial that grows as a forb/herb or vine.[2] Leaves are whitish gray in color and its flowers are white solitary inconspicuous flowers which occur at the end of short axillary branches.[3]

Distribution

This species is found along the coastal plain in eastern Texas, eastward to Florida, and northward Maryland. It also occurs in parts of Mexico, Central and South America, the West Indies.[1][2]

Ecology

Habitat

T. usneoides requires areas with high humidity and is therefore common in swamps.[1] It can also be found in dry forests, including sandhills, where frequent fog occurs.[1]

Phenology

Flowering occurs from March through June[1][4] and may also occur in the winter from September through December.[4]

Use by animals

Although not comprising a significant portion of their diet, T. usneoides is commonly found in the rumens of fallow deer throughout the year.[5] Spanish moss can also be used as a food for cattle, especially in the winter when other food may be scarce.[6]

Conservation and Management

Cultivation and restoration

Photo Gallery

References and notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Weakley A. S.(2015). Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Herbarium.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 USDA, NRCS. (2016). The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 11 January 2018). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Plant database: ‘’Tillandsia usneoides’’. (11 January 2018).Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. URL: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=TIUS
  4. 4.0 4.1 Nelson G. (11 January 2018) PanFlora. Retrieved from gilnelson.com/PanFlora/
  5. Morse BW, McElroy ML, Miller KV (2009) Seasonal diets of an introduced population of fallow deer on little St. Simons Island, Georgia. Southeastern Naturalist 8(4):571-586.
  6. Rafinesque CS (1828) Medical Flora; or Manual of the Medical Botany of the United States of North America. Atkinson SC, Philadelphia.