Moss

Description:

Moss is a very simple type of plant that lacks conventional roots, stems, and leaves. It is a primitive, nonflowering plants lacking true roots. They are anchored to the material on which they live by slender filaments called rhizoids. A moss plant contains chlorophyll and manufactures its own food by photosynthesis.

Habitat:

Shady slope on wooded mountainside.

Notes:

The moss plant is hardy. During a dry spell it turns brown or black, and looks dead; but it becomes green again as soon as rain falls. The mosses are among the first plants to establish themselves on rocky ground. They slowly break down the rock, preparing the way for more highly developed plants. Moss plants absorb many times their weight in moisture; they soak up rainfall on hillsides, helping to prevent erosion. The soil-building and moisture-conserving work of the mosses is indirectly of great importance to humans.