Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Air Plants
Not all plants need soil to grow. Epiphytes, or air plants, live on other plants. Air plants are not parasites. They do not feed off the plants they live on. They simply use the host plants for support. Air plants get the nutrients and water they need from the air and from rain. Air plants mainly grow on trees.
Spanish moss is one type of air plant. Spanish moss is sometimes called Florida moss, long moss, or graybeard. This plant has long, thin stems that wrap around the tree it lives on and hang down from the branches. Spanish moss flourishes in humid climates. It is most often found on oak or cypress trees. In the past, Spanish moss was used as a mattress stuffing. The plant made a cool and comfortable cushion.
Another type of air plant is the resurrection fern. This plant gets its name from its apparent ability to rise from the dead. The resurrection fern most often grows on pecan or oak trees. If water is plentiful, the resurrection fern looks very alive and green. If the weather is hot and dry, the resurrection fern becomes shriveled and gray. It looks dead. Water will bring the fern back to life. Its leaves will unroll. The fern will once again look very alive and green.
