Spanish moss, Tillandsia usneoides, is not a true moss, but rather a rootless epiphyte in the Bromeliaceae family and closely related to the pineapple. It does not parasitize its host, but rather uses the host only for supporting its slender stems and foliage. Its stems, about 1/25 of an inch in diameter and up to 50 inches in length, are elongated, twining and covered with silvery-gray scales. The short, 1 to 2 1/2 inches in length, round leaves appear at numerous intervals. The silvery-gray scales, called trichomes, serve two major purposes. The first is the absorption of water and nutrients. The second is to help reflect intense sunlight off of the leaf surface.