Native Plants

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Monday - September 08, 2008

From: Lake Placid, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Poisonous Plants
Title: Is Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) poisonous to pets? Probaly not.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

Is Spanish Moss poisonous to pets? I have a dog which will eat anything.

ANSWER:

My first thought is that someone has probably asked Mr. Smarty Plants this question before. Looking in our "previously answered questions" file, I did find a question about medicinal uses of Spanish moss Tillandsia usneoides (Spanish moss) that only mentions briefly the toxicity issue.

Further looking provided three lists of plants regarded as being toxic to pets. Spanish moss didn't make any of the lists, however a plant common to our home gardens did; tomato (see ASPCA web site).

The lists are from the ASPCA, Cornell University, and University of California Davis.

You may want to keep the dog's dish well stocked with kibbles and bits so that the Spanish Moss doesn't look too appetizing.

From the Image Gallery

Spanish moss
Tillandsia usneoides