Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Tiny

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Desert and tundra

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Spores

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Uncommon

About

This resilient moss grows on soil and stone in every continent on Earth. It survives extreme drought by curling its leaves into tight, silvery spheres.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Bryophyta

Class

Bryopsida

Order

Bryales

Family

Bryaceae

Genus

Bryum

Species

Bryum argenteum