These unusual characters are some of the many lichens in the park. Not true plants, lichens are a symbiotic combination of a fungus and an alga. The fungus gathers nutrients; the alga produces food via photosynthesis. Many lichens have brightly colored or oddly shaped reproductive structures.
Here is another sort, one that looks something like antlers.
Old Man's Beard, Usnea sp., is a common lichen in the park. Some trees are so densely festooned that it is difficult to tell what kind they are.
Old Man's Beard is frequently mistaken for Spanish Moss, but a close look reveals that the color and shape are somewhat different.
This is the real Spanish Moss, a flowering plant. It is a little grayer
and denser than the
lichen. The similarity between the two has long been noted--the great
botanist Carl
Linnaeus named the Spanish Moss Tillandsia usneoides, which means
literally,
"Tillandsia that looks like Usnea."
It's hard to believe that Spanish Moss is in the same family as the
pineapple, but it is.
Both are members of the Bromeliaceae.
There are plenty of vines in the canopy. The best time to see them is in
the spring before
they are hidden by leaves.
Perhaps the most common woody vines are the grapes. They can live to be
very old and
develop very thick stems.
In some places, the tangled vines can make progress difficult. The vine
across the top is a
grape while the other smooth vines are rattan-vine (Berchemia
scandens).
Grapes don't often put out aerial roots, but when they do, they don't
fool around.
Note the shreddy bark. It's characteristic of most grapes.
Muscadine Grape, Vitis rotundifolia, has rather round leaves that
are smooth
underneath.
Mustang Grape, Vitis mustangensis, has more lobed leaves that are
densely
white-pubescent below.
Grape flowers aren't very showy. The fruits are fairly large and dark
blue-black, but hard
to find because they are an important food source for animals. The skins
of both
Muscadine and Mustang Grapes are tart and will "put a fuzz" on your
teeth, but the pulp
is sweet and juicy. They make good wine, jelly, syrup, and fruit
sauces.
