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Moss - General InfoWHAT is MOSS?Considered by botanists as one of the oldest plants... dating 400 million years before vascular vegetation like ferns, MOSS is fascinating non-vascular plant in miniature. It requires a good eye because the leaves, even the gametes themselves, can be so tiny. Often a microscope is required for accurate identification and sometimes this ID needs to occur during the sporophytic reproductive cycle. Classified in the Kingdom Plantae - Phylum Bryophyta, BRYOPHYTES include mosses, liverworts and hornworts. Over 20,000 types of bryophytes can be found around the globe. In my part of the world, western North Carolina in the United States, over 450 types of bryophytes exist... and thrive year-round! Some interesting and unique characteristics of MOSS include:Non-vascular plant... no real rootsNo flowers and, therefore, no seedsNo cuticle which allows leaves to completely absorb all waterMajor source of sustenance - rainwater and dust particlesTolerant of all types of soil conditions - red clay, gravel, asphalt, sand, and rich soilReproductive process includes sporophytic and gametophytic stages
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