1. Dense festoons of greenish-grey hairlike flexuous strands anchored to tree trunks and branches by sparse wiry roots; southeastern United States and West Indies to South America
   "Old man's beard draped dramatically from the live oak trees";
   - Spanish moss, black moss, long moss, Tillandsia usneoides
    
2. Vigorous deciduous climber of Europe to Afghanistan and Lebanon having panicles of fragrant green-white flowers in summer and autumn
   "old man's beard covered the old stone wall";
   - traveler's joy [US], traveller's joy [Brit, Cdn], Clematis vitalba
    
3. Common climber of eastern North America that sprawls over other plants and bears numerous panicles of small creamy white flowers
   "old man's beard draped elegantly over the garden arch";
   - virgin's bower, devil's darning needle [N. Amer], Clematis virginiana

Type of: aerophyte, air plant, clematis, epiphyte, epiphytic plant

Part of: genus Tillandsia, Tillandsia

Encyclopedia: Old man's beard