[element_block_heading _id="524339" heading="Ball Moss" style="default"]

 

Like Spanish Moss, Ball Moss is not a moss but a flowering plant in the Bromeliad family. Ball Moss is a nitrogen fixing plant that can convert atmospheric nitrogen (unusable to plants) into a form that plants can use. Once a Ball Moss plant lands on the ground it begins to fertilize the soil for nearby plants. Sometimes seen hanging on telephone lines, ball moss is the only North American epiphyte to grow in this manner.

Latin Name: Tillandsia Recurvata

Habitat: Pine Flatwoods, Oak Hammock, Swamp

Blooms: Spring – Fall; Small purple flowers