Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) has a long history of use for a number of things. Today it is mostly used for its decorative nature and used as a sort of mossy covering in pots or in arts & crafts; however, it has also been used for a building insulation, packing material or stuffing in various products, mulch, in swamp coolers, and in the early 1900s it was used for the padding in car seats. There are also several traditional medicinal uses by Native Americans and in South America.
Currently, there is interest and research on this plant for its possible use as a “biomonitor” for air quality in urbanized areas. As the plant is made to absorb nutrients through specialized scales on its leaves, poor air quality makes changes to the plant’s metabolism and scales which can then analyzed.
Photo by Marina Leonova
#spanishmoss #airquality #multiuseplants #ethnobotany #ethnopharm #airplant #tillandsia #medicinalplants #herbalism