In many gardens, moss is considered a weed and is rigorously controlled. Reducing the tiny, leafy land plant to this status falls far short of its importance. This profile with more detailed explanations would like to show which attributes characterize moss.
There are over 15,000 different types of moss
System and appearance in brief
For almost 400 million years, moss has known how to assert itself in nature against all vicissitudes of plant life. Few plants can look back on such a long evolution. The following profile attempts to summarize the outstanding attributes of moss species:
- Moss Definition: Green, rootless spore plant
- Descent from the green algae (Chlorophyta)
- Main genera: mosses (Bryophyta), liverworts (Marchantiophyta), hornworts (Anthocerotophyta)
- Number of known species: 15,000 to 20,000
- Cosmopolitan land plants for 400 to 450 million years
- Growth with shoot and leaflets or thallus as a multicellular vegetation body
- Rare reproduction in alternation of generations via spores and no seeds
- Growth heights from 1 mm to 20 cm, rarely higher
- Main areas of distribution: Shady, humid locations with poor, acidic, compacted soil
Fascinating properties
Systematics and appearance hardly give an idea of the abilities moss has developed in the course of its evolution. This potential rests in the inconspicuous plant:
- Problem solver: As a ground cover, greens up locations where nothing else likes to grow
- Indicator plant: Indicates site conditions and saves time-consuming soil analyses
- Natural insecticide and fungicide: Liverwort extract drives away voracious snails and fights fungal infections
- Cultivation aid: Sphagnum moss provides valuable assistance in orchid care
- Pollutant filter: Peat moss filters billions of tons of pollutants from the air worldwide
- Survivalist: Endures extreme drought and cold to return years later
Furthermore, moss is an indispensable component in the ecosystem. The plant offers microorganisms and beneficial insects a safe retreat. Birds find nesting material here and insects find nutritious food. As a pioneer plant, moss settles in the most inhospitable places and diligently carries out photosynthesis even in the shade.
tips
You think moss, the survivor, gets the short end of the stick in deserts? In 2016, researchers reported on the moss species Syntrichia caninervis in the science magazine 'Nature Plant'. This has developed an ingenious strategy to exist in a dust-dry desert. At the ends of their leaves are very delicate hairs, with which the moss can take microfine water droplets from the air.