Plants · La Saladita, Guerrero

Spanish moss

Tillandsia usneoides

Spanish: Heno / Paxtle

Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides)
Photographed by adrian71 on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC · taken in Chavarrillo, Ver., México, not near La Saladita

Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) is an epiphytic flowering plant that often grows upon larger trees in tropical and subtropical climates, native to much of Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Central America, South America, the southern United States, and the West Indies and is also naturalized in Queensland (Australia). It is known as "grandpas beard" in French Polynesia. In the United States from where it is most known, it is commonly found on the southern live oak (Quercus...

TaxonomyLiliopsida › Poales › Bromeliaceae
Local recordsNot recorded by research-grade iNaturalist observations within about 50 km; listed from the site's curated guide
Global records43,937 on iNaturalist

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Plants guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/tillandsia-usneoides/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.