Epiphytic pendulous much-branched plants, with very narrow entire leaves and yellow or greenish flowers. Sepals distinct and separate or very nearly so. Petals distinct. Stamens long, the three inner ones inserted on the bases of the petals; filaments filiform; anthers linear. Ovary superior; style columnar; stigmas short. Capsule septicidally 3-valved. Seeds erect, narrow,' supported on a long funiculus which splits up into fine threads. [Greek, meaning tree-beard.]

About 3 species; the following is the type of the genus.

1. Dendropogon Usneoides (L.) Raf. Long Moss. Florida Moss

Fig. 1146

Renealmia usneoides L. Sp. PI. 287. 1753. Tillandsia usneoides L. Sp. PI. Ed. 2, 411. 1762. Dendropogon usneoides Raf. Fl. Tel. 4: 25. 1838.

Stems very slender, thread-like, flexuous, hanging clustered in festoons from the branches of trees, 3°-2o° long, gray and, like the filiform leaves, densely silvery-scurfy all over. Leaves scattered, 1'-3' long, scarcely 1/2" thick, their bases somewhat dilated; flowers sessile and solitary or rarely 2 together in the axils of the leaves; sepals about 3" long, pale green; petals yellow, the blade about 2' long; stamens about as long as the calyx; capsule linear, 9'-15" long, at length splitting into 3 linear valves.

Eastern Virginia to Florida, west to Texas and Mexico. Very widely distributed in tropical America. Vegetable hair. Hanging, Spanish or Black moss. Long or Tree-beard.