Plate 085 · curtains on a cloud-forest limb IdentificationFour marks on the plate
- 1Hanging curtains of grey strands, without Y-shaped branching.
- 2Zigzag stem covered in silvery scales.
- 3Tiny flower with three yellow-green petals.
- 4On mossy limbs, in misty places.
Easily confused with Beard lichenUsnea spp.A yellow-green lichen. It forks in a Y and has a white elastic cord inside. 085 / 100 · PLANTS · BROMELIACEAELEAST CONCERN Spanish moss
Tillandsia usneoides
Barba de monte · Old man’s beard
It looks like a moss or a lichen, but it is a rootless bromeliad. It hangs in grey curtains from branches and lives on water from the mist. It mostly spreads when wind or birds carry pieces to another tree.
- Family
- Bromeliads, like the pineapple
- Roots
- None
- Altitude in Tucumán
- 600 – 2,500 m
- Range
- SE USA to Argentina
- Epiphyte
- Rootless
- Bromeliad
- Nest material
Altitude rangeFrom the low forest to the alders
Tucumán herbarium records Tucumán herbarium specimens range from 600 m (El Potrerillo) to 2,500 m (Tafí area). It is most abundant where mist is frequent.
EcologyWater from the mist
- Mist and rainabsorbs water through scales
- Tree branchessupport only, not a parasite
- Birdsuse it for nests and spread it
- Diffuse lightbranches open to the mist
Each strand is covered in silvery scales that trap water and mineral-rich dust. It takes nothing from the tree that holds it.
Life cycleGrowing in chains
- No roots. The thin stems twist around branches and each other. That is how the plant holds on.
- Travels in pieces. Wind and birds carry fragments to other branches, where they keep growing.
- Tiny flowers. It has small three-petalled flowers and hairy seeds that drift on the wind.
Where to look in Tucumán- Quebrada de Lules
- Tafí del Valle (RP 307)
- Sierra de San Javier
- PN Aconquija