Moss - biography
For other uses, see Moss (disambiguation).They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems.There are approximately 10,000 species of moss classified in the Bryophyta.The division Bryophyta formerly included not only mosses, but also liverworts and hornworts.These other two groups of bryophytes now are often placed in their own divisions.Inhibiting moss growth
5.Other differences are not universal for all mosses and all liverworts, but the presence of clearly differentiated "stem" and "leaves", the lack of deeply lobed or segmented leaves, and the absence of leaves arranged in three ranks, all point to the plant being a moss.There are periods in the moss lifecycle when they do have a full, paired set of chromosomes but this is only during the sporophyte stage.This is a transitory stage in the life of a moss.From the tips of stems or branches develop the sex organs of the mosses.The female organs are known as archegonia (sing.The male organs are known as antheridia (singular antheridium) and are enclosed by modified leaves called the perigonium (plural, perigonia).Mosses can be either dioicous (compare dioecious in seed plants) or monoicous (compare monoecious).In dioicous mosses, both male and female sex organs are borne on different gametophyte plants.In monoicous (also called autoicous) mosses, they are borne on the same plant.In the presence of water, sperm from the antheridia swim to the archegonia and fertilisation occurs, leading to the production of a diploid sporophyte.The sperm of mosses is biflagellate, i.Since the sperm must swim to the archegonium, fertilisation cannot occur without water.It takes about a quarter to half a year for the sporophyte to mature.The calyptra usually falls off when the capsule is mature.This may be absent in some mosses.In some mosses, green vegetative structures called gemmae are produced on leaves or branches, which can break off and form new plants without the need to go through the cycle of fertilization.Two different types of mosses (and a lichen, in the smallest box) surround this tree trunk.Mosses were traditionally grouped with the liverworts and hornworts in the Division Bryophyta (bryophytes), within which the mosses made up the class Musci.This group, however, is paraphyletic and now tends to be split up.In such a system, the Division Bryophyta refers specifically to mosses.Takakiopsida
Sphagnopsida
Andreaeopsida
Andreaeobryopsida
Polytrichopsida
Bryopsida
Andreaeopsida and Andreaeobryopsida are distinguished by the biseriate (two rows of cells) rhizoids, multiseriate (many rows of cells) protonema, and sporangium that splits along longitudinal lines.Most mosses have capsules that open at the top.These large mosses form extensive acidic bogs in peat swamps.The leaves of Sphagnum have large dead cells alternating with living photosynthetic cells.Aside from this character, the unique branching, thallose (flat and expanded) protonema, and explosively rupturing sporangium place it apart from other mosses.They differ from other mosses in other details of their development and anatomy too, and can also become larger than most other mosses, with e.The tallest land moss, a member of the Polytrichidae is supposed to be Dawsonia superba, a native to New Zealand and Australia.Red moss capsules, a winter native of the Yorkshire Dales moorland.The Archidiidae are distinguished by their extremely large spores and the way the sporangium develops.Unambiguous moss fossils have been recovered from as early as the Permian of Antarctica and Russia, and a case is put forwards for Carboniferous mosses.Mosses are common in wooded areas and at the edges of streams.Wherever they occur, mosses require moisture to survive because of the small size and thinness of tissues, lack of cuticle (waxy covering to prevent water loss), and the need for liquid water to complete fertilisation.Some mosses can survive desiccation, returning to life within a few hours of rehydration.In deep forests where sunlight does not penetrate, mosses grow equally well on all sides of the tree trunk.Cultivation
Moss is considered a weed in grass lawns, but is deliberately encouraged to grow under aesthetic principles exemplified by Japanese gardening.In old temple gardens, moss can carpet a forest scene.Moss is thought to add a sense of calm, age, and stillness to a garden scene.Rules of cultivation are not widely established.However, specific species of moss can be extremely difficult to maintain away from their natural sites with their unique combinations of light, humidity, shelter from wind, etc.Growing moss from spores is even less controlled.Moss spores fall in a constant rain on exposed surfaces; those surfaces which are hospitable to a certain species of moss will typically be colonised by that moss within a few years of exposure to wind and rain.Materials which are porous and moisture retentive, such as brick, wood, and certain coarse concrete mixtures are hospitable to moss.Inhibiting moss growth
Moss growth can be inhibited by a number of methods:
Decreasing availability of water through drainage or direct application changes.Heavy traffic or manually disturbing the moss bed with a rake will also inhibit moss growth.The application of products containing ferrous sulfate or ferrous ammonium sulfate will kill moss, these ingredients are typically in commercial moss control products and fertilizers.Killing moss will not prevent regrowth unless conditions favorable to their growth are changed.British and American gardens.The mossery is typically constructed out of slatted wood, with a flat roof, open to the north side (maintaining shade).Samples of moss were installed in the cracks between wood slats.The whole mossery would then be regularly moistened to maintain growth.Commercial use
There is a substantial market in mosses gathered from the wild.The uses for intact moss are principally in the florist trade and for home decoration.Decaying moss in the genus Sphagnum is also the major component of peat, which is "mined" for use as a fuel, as a horticultural soil additive, and in smoking malt in the production of Scotch whisky.Sphagnum moss, generally the species cristatum and subnitens, is harvested while still growing and is dried out to be used in nurseries and horticulture as a plant growing medium.The practice of harvesting peat moss should not be confused with the harvesting of moss peat.Peat moss can be harvested on a sustainable basis and managed so that regrowth is allowed, whereas the harvesting of moss peat is generally considered to cause significant environmental damage as the peat is stripped with little or no chance of recovery.Some early people used it as a diaper due to its high absorbency.In Finland, peat mosses have been used to make bread during famines.In Mexico, Moss is used as a Christmas decoration.Lower Carboniferous of the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire".Steve Whitcher, Master Gardener (1996).Moss Control in Lawns (Web).Retrieved on February 10, 2007.Look up moss in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.See Copyrights for details.Acres is the one stop resource for gardening
with moss.Northeastern Pennsylvania, Moss Acres ships four
species of moss throughout the U.Moss Acres now also offers eight
highly desirable varieties of ferns.Benner on a recent television episode featuring Moss!Moss Acres, growing moss has never been easier!Here to Enter Our Spring Photo Contest!Why is this cat smiling?...Moss receives three international awards for innovative fabric projects.Moss receives two international awards.Introducing Moss Green Knit fabric.The industry's first modular display unit designed specifically for fabric graphics.Moss created eight fabric lampshades.Anne Moss grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia as youngest of...Kelly HansonNormal (2007) ....GirlfriendSuspect Zero (2004) ....The Animatrix: A Detective Story (USA: series title) The Animatrix (2003) (V) (voice) ....TrinityNew Blood (1999) ....Stacy TaylorLethal Tender (1997) (as Carrie Anne Moss) ....Supernote (1996) TV episode ....The Secret Life of Algernon (1997) ....Madge ClerisySabotage (1996) ....Sins of the Fathers Chapter 2: Make a Wish (1996) TV episode (voice) ....Juliet Is Bleeding (1996) TV episode ....Really Big Problems (1995) TV episode ....Shadows from the Past (1993) TV episode ....Conviction of His Courage (1993) TV episode ....Kid Stuff (1991) TV episode (as Carrie Ann Moss) ....Nightmare Cafe (1992) TV episode ....My Enemy (1989) TV episode ....Episode dated 14 June 2007 (2007) TV episode ....HerselfWhat We See When We Close Our Eyes (2005) (V) ....Live with Regis (USA: new title) ...The Matrix Revolutions (2003) TV episode ....Episode dated 1 November 2003 (2003) TV episode ....Episode dated 16 May 2003 (2003) TV episode ....Episode dated 13 May 2003 (2003) TV episode ....West Independent Spirit Awards (2002) (TV) ....The Pleasures of 'Chocolat' (2000) (TV) ....Terms and Privacy Policy under which this service is provided to you.
