By admin 
It’s not Spanish. It’s not a moss.
But it is an iconic southern scenery along the South Carolina coast. Spanish moss is often found draped delicately from tree branches, yet it needs the right conditions to thrive.
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Former industrial plants near Georgetown’s waterfront have long been to blame for a lack of Spanish moss growing in the nearby trees. Now that they have closed, it appears the plant may be making a comeback.
Spanish moss is an air plant, meaning it gets all of its nutrients through its leaves instead of having roots. It’s very sensitive to the environmental conditions where it grows.
“A lot of people have noticed in Georgetown, with a lot of the factories there, there was not a lot of that iconic Spanish moss, and that was kind of an indicator of poor air quality,” said Kaela Moon, manager of plant records and conservation at Brookgreen Gardens.
Liberty Steel Mill closed in October 2024, and International Paper closed the following December, but Spanish moss hasn’t made a full recovery in the area quite yet. There are a few areas in Georgetown where it’s reappearing in the stately oak trees, but Moon said it is likely slow to rebound.
Since it does not have roots, it is not physically attached to the branches it hangs from. It spreads by releasing seeds that blow from tree to tree. Moon said within the next five to 10 years, it should be more abundant.
Why is Spanish moss so iconic to the south?
Spanish moss is native along the U.S. coast from southeastern Virginia, down to Florida and over to the Gulf coast of Texas.
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It thrives in humid conditions, as it receives moisture through the air. It also prefers warmer temperatures.
“Having the ocean so close and those coastal winds, definitely helps in that humidity,” Moon said. “But typically, being on the coast will provide more stable temperatures.”
It is most notable in live oak trees, but it can grow in just about any tree tall enough to hang from its branches, Moon said.
One common misconception about Spanish moss is that it’s parasitic to the trees where it grows. Spanish moss does not rely on trees to survive, but merely uses the branches as a place to live. Moon said more is typically seen in trees that are already declining in health, and it can block some light from the tree and add a little weight, but it is not taking any nutrients from the tree itself.
While Spanish moss is still sparse in downtown Georgetown, it’s thriving in the botanical gardens at Brookgreen. The garden’s Live Oak Allée boasts rows of 250-year-old live oak trees flourishing with Spanish moss. As new seedlings blow where branches are still bare, the plant should continue to recover with time.
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