Angel Payne, age 9, of Marietta, Ga., for her question:

WHAT IS SPANISH MOSS?

An epiphyte is any plant which grows on another plant but manufactures its own food. It is also called an air plant. Air plants take most of the moisture and raw material they need for food from the air through their leaves.

One type of epiphyte is Spanish moss, a flowering plant that hangs from trees in the southestern United States and in tropical South America. It has long, slender, grayish stems that look like hair hanging from the trees.

Spanish moss is neither a moss nor a parasite. The plant has no roots and absorbs water directly from the air. The interesting plant is a member of the pineapple family.

Spanish moss has long, narrow leaves and small yellow flowers. Its stems are dried and used to stuff upholstery.