13+ Facts About Moss Plants: All About This Non-Vascular Plant

Mosses are non-vascular plants that do not flower.

Mosses can liven up your garden when you grow them in a pattern. Mosses can also grow naturally and it is normal to see mosses in forests or woodland settings.

Mosses can naturally grow in your garden. While some people who are into gardening find this plant a nuisance, others admire the unique features and the look of moss. Moss gardens are quite a sight with their rich greenery. If you love gardening and also like moss, you can try to create a moss garden for yourself.

One way to grow a moss garden is to make use of transplanted moss. Transplanted moss is nothing but moss gathered from one place and put into a container to be planted in a new place.

If you have rock gardens, then instead of transplanting moss, you could make a moss slurry and put it on the surface of the rock. This will ensure that the moss grows quickly.

Apart from moisture, moss also needs acidic soil and plenty of sunlight. This is because moss fulfills its nutrient needs through sunlight.

However, moss growth shouldn't be left unchecked. Since moss grows in damp places, including rotten wood, the high growth rate of moss can be a sign of decay.

Once you finish reading this article, you might also be interested in learning about the different plants in the Arctic and facts about unique plants here at Kidadl.

Types Of Moss Plants

There are several different species of mosses that exist in nature. Some of these varieties are listed below.

• El-cap moss is a variety of moss which is also known as bug-on-a-stick. El-cap moss develops on rotten wood and soil in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Peat moss is called by many names, including bog moss or sphagnum moss. This moss variety is generally found near ponds, swamps, lakeshores, and moist cliffs. These moist places can be anywhere from tropical regions to subpolar regions.
• Dried peat moss can be used for various purposes such as being used for surgical dressings, lamp wicks, diapers, stable litter, and bedding. It is also helpful in gardening as it helps to increase the acidity of the soil as well as the moisture level of the soil.
• Apple moss is a moss variety that gets its name from the unique apple-like shape of the spore case. Apple moss grows in deep cushions in the Northern Hemisphere's rocky woods that have abundant moisture.
• Another well-known moss variety is carpet moss. This moss forms a mat or carpet-like layer over the areas it grows on, which are typically decaying or rotting wood in moist places. Since it is believed that carpet moss helps in inducing sleep, this type of moss was used as bed stuffing in the past.
• Feather moss also forms a mat-like layer. This moss is also known as boreal forest moss or plume moss. It has a stem that looks like a feather, giving this moss its name. It grows on rotten wood, rocks, and peat soils generally found in mountain forests in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Fern moss has fern-like branches and spore cases in a curved and cylindrical shape that typically bloom in the fall and late summer. This moss variety grows on soil, bases of trees, rocks, and logs.
• Luminous moss has the ability to reflect light. It is also called elfin gold. This moss variety is generally found in caves in the form of a green mat. It can also grow in holes inside wood and earth, in addition to growing under tree roots and in the cavities in rocks.
• These varieties of mosses belong to different genus categories in addition to some being aquatic too.
• While some of these varieties are a good choice to grow in your garden, others might cause more harm than good to the garden. Make sure to research properly beforehand.
• However, if you're worried about it being poisonous, don't worry, moss is generally harmless for humans.

Characteristics Of Moss Plants

Moss is a unique plant species that invokes varied reactions from different types of people. Here are some characteristics that make moss unique.

• Even though moss is technically a plant, it does not have the same features as other plants.
• Moss does not really have common plant parts such as branches or leaves. While fern moss and some other varieties might seem like they have leaves, they aren't real leaves but actually stems.
• Moss also doesn't have roots. In a normal situation, roots provide the necessary support that the rest of the plant body needs, along with helping to absorb the nutrients and water content from the soil. Because of the absence of roots, moss has to depend on other methods to absorb water.
• Mosses have something called the gametophore that helps in the absorption and transference of water, and they are always found in damp places.
• Moss grows in colonies, making moss colonies appear like blankets or carpets of greenery.

Classification Of Moss Plants

Every object on Earth has been classified on various levels in order to define it in a better way and distinguish objects from one another. This is the same for moss.

• Moss belongs to the kingdom of Plantae. The vast range of shrubs and trees is also part of this kingdom, with a few exceptions.
• The taxonomic division of moss is Bryophyta.
• The term 'Bryophyta' may also be used to refer to the parent group of bryophytes consisting of mosses, hornworts, and liverworts.
• Other scientific synonyms of moss are Musci l. and Muscineae bisch.
• Although the different varieties of moss belong to the same division of Bryophyta, they are part of several distinct genus categories.

How does moss reproduce?

The reproduction process helps in growing the numbers of a particular living entity. Below you will find the unique way moss reproduces.

• Unlike other plant species that reproduce through seeds, moss cannot do the same as it doesn't have seeds.
• Instead, moss has something called spores which help in the reproduction process.
• Moss spores are single-celled parts similar to seed but more primitive.
• These are enclosed in capsules called spore cases which are present on the top end of the seta, which is like a stem but more minute.
• When the spores inside the spore cases mature, which can also be considered as a bloom, they are released from the capsules and into the air. They then germinate to form new moss.
• Due to this special way of reproducing, moss can grow real quick and spread to cover a lot of space.
• However, it can only spread to places with a high amount of moisture in order to meet the water requirement of moss.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked reading these 13+ facts about the moss plant: all about this non-vascular plant, then why not take a look at plant parts, or are algae plants?