[TICKING].
[ALARM].
[FIREWORKS].
♪♪
CHARLIE: HEY GUYS, I’M CHARLIE,
TODAY I’M HANGING OUT IN SAVANNAH GEORGIA,
WITH MY FRIEND, KIRBY, AND WE CAME ALL THE WAY DOWN
HERE TO CHECK OUT THIS STUFF, TILLANDSIA USNEOIDES.
JUST A FANCY WORD FOR SPANISH MOSS.
COOL, COOL, ALRIGHT, SO TODAY WE’RE TAKING A
QUICK BREAK FROM TREES AND TALKING ABOUT
SOMETHING ELSE, SPANISH MOSS.
WHY?
BECAUSE SPANISH MOSS IS ACTUALLY SUPER INTERESTING,
JUST WAIT, YOU’LL SEE.
AND IN PLACES LIKE SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, IN THE SOUTH,
IF YOU HAVE TREES, YOU PROBABLY HAVE SPANISH MOSS TOO,
BECAUSE THIS STUFF, IT REALLY IS EVERYWHERE.
SPANISH MOSS IS ALL OVER THE PLACE IN THE SOUTH,
AND I’M NOT EXAGGERATING,
IT’S PRETTY MUCH ALL OVER THE PLACE.
WE FOUND IT IN SAVANNAH GROWING ON THE TREES,
ON THE PARK BENCHES, LYING ON THE SIDEWALK,
MAKING EVERYTHING LOOK SUPER OLD AND PRETTY SPOOKY TOO.
THERE’S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LIKE IT IN THE NORTH
WHERE I’M FROM.
IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE A VINE THAT IS SLOWLY TAKING
OVER A TOWN, OR LIKE MOTHER NATURE JUST
VOMITED OVER EVERYTHING.
BUT THE THING IS, THAT’S NOT REALLY TRUE AT ALL.
AFTER VISITING SAVANNAH, KIRBY AND I FOUND OUT THAT
A LOT OF THE THINGS WE THOUGHT WE KNEW ABOUT SPANISH MOSS
WEREN’T TRUE, SO IT’S A PRETTY MISLEADING PLANT.
I MEAN FOR ONE THING, IT’S GOT A PRETTY SNEAKY NAME,
SPANISH MOSS.
THE THING IS, HERE’S WHAT WE FOUND OUT.
SPANISH MOSS IS NOT SPANISH.
YEAH, HOW WEIRD IS THAT?
SPANISH MOSS IS NOT SPANISH, IT’S ACTUALLY NATIVE
TO THE SOUTH EASTERN UNITED STATES, PUERTO RICO
AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS.
SO, IT’S AS SPANISH AS KIRBY, WHICH MEANS
IT’S REALLY THAT SPANISH AT ALL.
AND, THE THING IS, THERE’S MORE.
SPANISH MOSS IS NOT EVEN A MOSS.
SUPER WEIRD!
SPANISH MOSS IS NOT A MOSS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES MOSSES MOSSES ARE
THE FACT THAT THEY REPRODUCE USING SPORES.
BUT, SPANISH MOSS REPRODUCES USING SEEDS, NOT SPORES,
SO IT’S NOT A MOSS.
SO, YEAH, THIS GUY ISN’T EVEN A MOSS.
SO, SPANISH MOSS ISN’T SPANISH, AND IT ISN’T A MOSS,
THEN WHAT IS IT?
WELL, MOST PEOPLE THINK IT’S AN INVASIVE PLANT PARASITE
THAT’S KILLING TREES, WHICH IS TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE,
BECAUSE I MEAN JUST LOOK AROUND,
IT’S ALL OVER THE PLACE, LOOKS LIKE IT’S SUCKING THE
NUTRIENTS FROM THE TREES.
BUT, THE THING IS, THAT’S NOT TRUE EITHER.
BECAUSE SPANISH MOSS ISN’T DAMAGING THESE TREES,
IT’S ACTUALLY PRETTY HARMLESS,
EVEN THOUGH IT’S GROWING ALL OVER THEM,
IT’S NOT HURTING THEM.
SO WE HAVE A SUPER TRICKY PLANT ON OUR HANDS HERE,
SPANISH MOSS IS NOT SPANISH, AND IT’S NOT A MOSS,
AND IT’S NOT KILLING TREES LIKE PEOPLE THINK IT IS,
SO THEN WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?
SPANISH MOSS, YOU SLY DOG, WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?
OK, SO AFTER A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH,
KIRBY AND I UNCOVERED THE TRUTH, SO HERE WE GO.
SPANISH MOSS IS A FLOWERING PLANT,
LIKE A TULIP OR A ROSE, THAT GROWS ON TREES.
AND, THEY REPRODUCE BY PRODUCING THESE TINY,
LITTLE SEEDS, THAT LOOK LIKE THIS.
THEY HAVE THESE LITTLE HAIRY PARTS THAT ACT KIND OF
LIKE SAILS, THEY CAN CATCH THE WIND.
SO, THE WIND PICKS UP THESE SEEDS,
WHICH THEN FLY THROUGH THE AIR,
UNTIL THEY LAND ON ANOTHER SURFACE, LIKE A TREE,
AND BEGIN TO GROW.
AND THEY GROW IN A WHOLE VARIETY OF PLACES BECAUSE
THEY’RE AIR PLANTS, AKA EPIPHYTES.
MORE FANCY WORDS.
COOL, COOL SO WHAT EXACTLY IS AN EPIPHYTE?
WELL, MOST PLANTS LIKE TREES OR FLOWERS YOU SEE
GROWING IN A GARDEN SOAK UP THE MAJORITY OF THE WATER
AND NUTRIENTS THEY NEED THROUGH THEIR ROOTS.
BUT, EPIPHYTES DON’T DO THAT BECAUSE EPIPHYTES
DON’T HAVE ROOTS, THEY’RE PLANTS THAT CAN HARMLESSLY
GROW ON OTHER PLANTS BECAUSE THEY GET ALL THE WATER
AND NUTRIENTS THEY NEED FROM THE AIR, RAIN,
AND SOME OF THE DEAD JUNK LYING AROUND THEM.
SO, SPANISH MOSS IS ONE OF THESE PLANTS, AN EPIPHYTE,
AND IF WE ZOOMED IN ON A PIECE OF SPANISH MOSS,
IT WOULD KIND OF LOOK LIKE THIS, ON THE RIGHT,
COVERED WITH A BUNCH OF TINY SCALES,
THAT ARE TRAPPING ALL OF THE NUTRIENTS THAT
SPANISH MOSS NEEDS TO GROW.
SO IT DOESN’T NEED ROOTS AT ALL,
BECAUSE THESE SCALES ARE TRAPPING ALL OF
THE NUTRIENTS IT NEEDS.
IT DOESN’T EVEN NEED TO BE IN SOIL, REALLY,
THEY KIND OF JUST EXIST, ATTACHED TO RANDOM THINGS,
HANGING OUT ALL OVER THE PLACE.
BECAUSE OF THAT, THEY CAN GROW ON OTHER PLANTS,
LIKE TREES, JUST DRAPED OVER A LIMB OR TWO,
WITHOUT HARMING THEM AT ALL.
ALRIGHT, I THINK WE’VE GOT IT.
PARASITES, SUCK THE LIFE OUT OF OTHER PLANTS.
EPIPHYTES, SUPER CHILL,
THEY’RE JUST KIND OF HANGING AROUND.
SPANISH MOSS ARE EPIPHYTES.
SPECIFICALLY, SPANISH MOSS IS IN THE FAMILY, BROMELIACEAE,
AND YOU KNOW WHAT’S CRAZY?
GUESS WHAT ELSE IS IN THAT FAMILY?
PINEAPPLES, YEAH, CRAZY RIGHT?
SO, SPANISH MOSS IS MORE CLOSELY RELATED TO PINEAPPLES
THAT ANYTHING FROM SPAIN.
SO, MAYBE IT’S TIME FOR A RE-BRANDING?
DITCH THE OLD NAME AND COME UP WITH SOMETHING NEW,
LIKE “PINEAPPLE HAIR” OR “THE FRIENDLY SPAGHETTI PLANT”
OR “THE CHILL TREE TOUPEE.”
YOU KNOW, JUST A COUPLE OF IDEAS, SURE MAKES A LOT
MORE SENSE TO ME.
[FIREWORKS]
