Spanish moss (Latin name: "Tillandsia usneoides") is a grey plant found hanging from trees in the swamps of the southern United States, especially in Louisiana but as far east as coastal Virginia. To the south it spreads as far as Chile and Argentina. It gained its current name from Spanish and French colonisers in the Gulf of Mexico. The French called it "Barbe Espagnole" ("Spanish beard") to insult their rivals, and the Spanish in turn called it "Cabello francés" ("French hair"). Today "Spanish moss" survives as a mild version of the French taunt, although some call the plant "Graybeard".