ballmoss
Tillandsia recurvata
Despite its common name, ballmoss is not a moss at all; it is a true flowering plant and a member of the bromeliad family, making it a close relative of the pineapple!
- Scientific name
- Tillandsia recurvata
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Liliopsida › Poales › Bromeliaceae › Tillandsia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous woodlands, oak hammocks, scrub forests, and urban trees or utility lines.
- Diet
- Photosynthetic (absorbs water, dust, and nutrients from the air and rain via specialized leaf scales called trichomes).
- Range
- Southern United States, Mexico, Central America, South America, Caribbean
- Size
- 10 to 20 cm in diameter
- Lifespan
- 5 to 10 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Urban development and unnecessary removal by property owners who mistakenly believe they are harmful parasites.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Ballmoss is completely non-toxic and safe to touch. As epiphytes (air plants), they do not parasitize or harm their host trees, so they can be safely left in place. Observe them freely at any distance.
Tillandsia recurvata , commonly known as small ballmoss or ball moss , is a flowering plant (not a true moss) in the family Bromeliaceae that grows upon larger host plants. It grows well in areas with low light, little airflow, and high humidity, which is commonly provided by southern shade trees, often the southern live oak ( Quercus virginiana ). It is not a parasite like mistletoe, but an epiphyte like its relative Spanish moss.
Photo: Manuel Ortiz, CC0, via iNaturalist
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