Mosses and Liverworts
These are in the oldest group of actual plants, the Bryophytes. Liverworts are considered the oldest, at around 500 million years old. They were on the earth before other plants like grass, ferns, cacti, and trees.
When moss grows on a rock, it sticks to it like a carpet rather than grows down like a tree root. Mosses like to live in warm, moist, and humid environments and are commonly found in shaded woodlands.
Mosses and liverworts are very important in the natural world. Liverworts are essential to river banks as they help stop erosion. Erosion is a significant problem. Once the sediment of the bank goes into the river, the plants start clogging up, so they cannot produce as much oxygen for the insects and fish. This creates an unhealthy place for creatures and plants to live in.
Mosses and Liverworts are small plants.
They live close to the ground. They do not have true roots like other plants; instead, they have rhizomes.
Rhizomes spread stems that pop up next to the plant, grow new leaves, and make the plant bigger.
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Interesting facts about Moss
Mosses are used for their antibacterial properties. Moss was collected on Dartmoor in Devon during the Second World War and then sent to the soldiers to help heal wounds.
Sphagnum Moss is also used as a medium to grow plants like soil. In some countries, it is also used to make bread; in others, it is used to extinguish fires. Sphagnum Moss plays a big part in forming peat bogs, a vital natural ecosystem.
Did you know that Sphagnum Moss can hold up to twenty times its weight in water?
