Oak trees and Spanish moss at the Destrehan Plantation

Oak trees and Spanish moss at the Destrehan Plantation

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by Oak trees and Spanish moss at the Destrehan Plantation

Destrehan Plantation is renowned for its one hundred majestic oaks, some of which are over 200 years old, some almost 250, and are listed in the records of the Louisiana Live Oak Society.

On the oaks you can see a lichen-like plant that the Indians called “tree hair” and that the Spaniards called “French beard”. Today it is called Spanish moss.

In the early days, the plant was mixed with mud and used as a cob to insulate the houses. The term used was “bousillage”.

The main house in Destrehan is an example of this type of construction.

Spanish moss was later used as a filling for cushions and mattresses and Henry Ford used it for the cushions of the first Model T automobiles.