Some other species yield fiber for commercial use or are cultivated as ornamental plants. The 500 species of genus Tillandsia comprise one of three branches within the family Bromeliacae. A relative of Spanish Moss is Tillandsia setacea , which grows from South Carolina to northern South America. Like Spanish Moss, Tillandsia setacea and Tillandsia recurvata are epiphytes .
Epiphytes grow on the surface of trees and other plants only for mechanical support.
Unlike parasites , epiphytes do not draw nutrients from the host plant, but absorb water and food from the air directly though their stems and leaves . Through the process of photosynthesis, the chlorophyll in the epiphyte converts water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates. Other examples of epiphytes are certain tropical orchids and the resurrection fern. The Range of Spanish Moss Spanish Moss grows throughout the eastern half of South Carolina. A map in Manual of Vascular Flora of the Carolinas shows a distribution that ranges from the coast up to the Midlands of the state.