Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophytasensu stricto. Bryophyta may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hornworts. Mosses typically form dense green clumps or mats, often in damp or shady locations. The individual plants are usually composed of simple leaves that are generally only one cell thick, attached to a stem that may be branched or unbranched and has only a limited role in conducting water and nutrients. Although some species have conducting tissues, these are generally poorly developed and structurally different from similar tissue found in vascular plants. Mosses do not have seeds and after fertilisation develop sporophytes with unbranched stalks topped with single capsules containing spores. They are typically 0.2–10 cm (0.1–3.9 in) tall, though some species are much larger. Dawsonia, the tallest moss in the world, can grow to 50 cm (20 in) in height. There are approximately 12,000 species.
Bryophytes are a group of land plants (embryophytes), sometimes treated as a taxonomic division, that contains three groups of non-vascular land plants: the liverworts, hornworts, and mosses. In the strict sense, the division Bryophyta consists of the mosses only. Bryophytes are characteristically limited in size and prefer moist habitats although some species can survive in drier environments. The bryophytes consist of about 20,000 plant species. Bryophytes produce enclosed reproductive structures, but they do not produce flowers or seeds. They reproduce sexually by spores and asexually by fragmentation or the production of gemmae.
Fissidens adianthoides, the maidenhair pocketmoss, is a moss in the family Fissidentaceae. It was first collected by Hedwig in 1801.
Sphagnum is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, also bog moss and quacker moss. Accumulations of Sphagnum can store water, since both living and dead plants can hold large quantities of water inside their cells; plants may hold 16 to 26 times as much water as their dry weight, depending on the species. The empty cells help retain water in drier conditions.
Sphagnum girgensohnii, commonly known as Girgensohn's bogmoss, Girgensohn's sphagnum or common green peat moss, is a species of peat moss with a Holarctic and Indo-Malesian distribution. First described by Edmund Russow in 1865, it is a relatively robust moss species characterised by its green to straw-coloured appearance and distinctive branching pattern. The species typically grows in shaded, damp woodlands and on the edges of mires, forming loose mats particularly under birch and willow trees, and can be found from sea level to elevations of 2,200 metres. While it shows a mainly northern distribution pattern and is especially abundant in subarctic regions, it occurs throughout Europe from Portugal to Russia, being more common in upland areas. Despite facing threats from habitat degradation and land-use changes, S. girgensohnii is assessed by the IUCN as Least Concern due to its extensive range and stable populations, though it receives legal protection under various national and international frameworks, including the EU Habitats Directive.
Sphagnum palustre, the prairie sphagnum or blunt-leaved bogmoss, is a species of peat moss from the genus Sphagnum, in the family Sphagnaceae. Like other mosses of this type it can soak up water up to the 30-fold amount of its own dry weight thanks to its elastic spiral fibers. S. palustre is rather frequent and is spread almost all over the world. It mainly grows in wet forests and—compared to other specimens of this genus—rarely grows in moors.
Sphagnum capillifolium, the red bogmoss, northern peat moss, acute-leaved bog-moss, or small red peat moss, is a species of peat moss native to Canada, the northern United States, Greenland, and Europe. Small red peat moss can be distinguished by its sweeping, outward-curving branches that resemble tresses. Sphagnum moss can hold large amounts of water within its cells, up to 20 times its own weight. This capability is due to its dead, empty cells called hyaline cells that fill up with water. This allows the moss to survive in wet, boggy habitats around rivers and lakes.
Inocybe saliceticola is a fungus found in moist habitats in the Nordic countries. The species produces brown mushrooms with caps of varying shapes up to 40 millimetres (1.6 in) across, and tall, thin stems up to 62 mm (2.4 in) long. At the base of the stem is a large and well-defined "bulb". The species produces unusually shaped, irregular spores, each with a few thick protrusions. This feature helps differentiate it from other species that would otherwise be similar in appearance and habit.
Sphagnum squarrosum, commonly known as the spiky bog-moss or spreading-leaved bog moss, is a peat moss species found in nutrient-rich, damp soils and wetlands across the Northern Hemisphere, with isolated populations in South America. Its spiky appearance, resulting from strongly spreading branch leaves, distinguishes it from other peat moss species. Playing an important role in wetland succession, the species is one of the first Sphagnum mosses to colonise developing wetlands. It shows considerable tolerance to mineral-rich conditions and actively modifies its habitat through cation exchange processes.
Sphagnum cuspidatum, the feathery bogmoss, toothed sphagnum, or toothed peat moss, is a peat moss found commonly in Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, the eastern coast of the United States, and in Colombia.
Sphagnum fimbriatum, the fringed bogmoss, is a peat moss found in temperate regions worldwide, from the Arctic to New Zealand and along the Andes. William Wilson formally described the species in 1846. Plants measure up to 10 cm (4 in) tall, varying from slender to moderately robust forms. It forms loose carpets or soft mounds in wetlands and is identified by its stem leaves with fringed upper margins. The stem leaves distinguish it from other Sphagnum species, including its close relative S. girgensohnii which has rectangular stem leaves fringed only at the tip.
Warnstorfia exannulata is a leafy branching wetland moss in the genus Warnstorfia within the family Amblystegiaceae and class Bryopsida. This bryopsida moss is also known as ringless-hook moss or Warnstorfia moss. It is the most common species of the genus in wetland environments and can be difficult to distinguish from others within the genus. It grows in acidic soils like fens and bogs, or in freshwater pools and lakes.
Climacium dendroides, also known as tree climacium moss, belongs in the order Hypnales and family Climaciaceae, in class Bryopsida and subclass Bryidae. It is identified as a "tree moss" due to its distinctive morphological features, and has four species identified across the Northern Hemisphere. The species name "dendroides" describes the tree-like morphology of the plant, and its genus name came from the structure of the perforations of peristome teeth. This plant was identified by Weber and Mohr in 1804. They often have stems that are around 2-10 cm tall and growing in the form of patches, looking like small palm-trees. They have yellow-green branches at the tip of stems. The leaves are around 2.5-3 mm long, with rounder stem leaves and pointier branch leaves. Their sporophytes are only abundant in late winter and early spring, and appears as a red-brown shoot with long stalk and cylindrical capsules.
Sphagnum papillosum, the papillose peatmoss, is a species of peat moss distributed throughout the northern hemisphere. Although sometimes confused with Sphagnum imbricatum and Sphagnum palustre, it is distinguished by its yellow-green to brown short, blunt branches and papillose chlorophyllose cells.
Bartonia virginica is species of flowering plant in Gentianaceae. It is the commonly called yellow screwstem or yellow bartonia and it is an annual species with small pale green to yellow flowers.
Sphagnum quinquefarium, the five-ranked bog-moss, is a species of peat moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae. It is characterised by its distinctive five-ranked leaf arrangement and three spreading branches per fascicle. It typically grows in loose, upright formations in damp, shaded woodlands rather than in peatlands, preferring areas with high atmospheric humidity. The medium-sized moss has a pale green to yellowish-green colouring, often marked with pink or red patches, and can be distinguished from similar species by its prismatic branch appearance and parallel-sided stem leaves. Found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, it is most abundant in oceanic and sub-oceanic regions, particularly in northwestern Europe and the Carpathian Mountains, with populations also occurring in eastern Asia and coastal North America. While commonly hybridising with S. capillifolium in areas where their ranges overlap, the species maintains its distinctness through different habitat preferences. Conservation status varies significantly across its range, from being common in some regions to vulnerable and legally protected in others, such as Hungary.
Sphagnum wulfianum, commonly known as Wulf's peatmoss, is a species of moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae. It has a circumboreal distribution, occurring primarily in moist boreal forest environments across Eurasia and North America, with rare occurrences in Arctic tundra regions. The species is morphologically distinctive among peat mosses, characterised by having six to twelve branches per fascicle, a unique feature in the genus. First described in 1860 from Estonia, it typically grows in boggy mineral-rich spruce forests and at the borders of mires, forming small carpets and hummocks. While the species has a large geographic range and stable overall population trends in Europe, it faces regional conservation challenges, particularly at its range edges, where it is considered endangered in several countries due to habitat degradation from peatland drainage, forestry, and agriculture. Genetic studies indicate remarkably low genetic diversity throughout its range, suggesting high rates of gene flow across large distances despite infrequent spore production.
Sphagnum rubellum, commonly known as the red peat moss, is a species of peat moss in the family Sphagnaceae. It forms low, reddish cushions in wet areas like bogs and poor fens across North America and Eurasia, particularly in regions with oceanic climates. The species can vary in colour from green to pink or deep crimson, and grows up to 10 centimetres tall. Like other peat mosses, it plays an important role in forming and maintaining peatlands.
Sphagnum australe is a species of Sphagnum found in southeastern Australia.
Sphagnum teres, or rigid bogmoss, is a species of moss from the Sphagnaceae family. Widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, it grows in mountainous areas in the southern part of its range. It thrives in fertile, minerotrophic peatlands. It is characterized by a clearly visible terminal bud in the middle part of the head and usually a dark brown stem.
