Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Tiny

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Temperate forest

Range

The Americas

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Spores

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Common

About

This fern-like moss grows in dense, branching mats across the Americas. Its tiny leaves fold inward to trap moisture and survive dry spells by turning dormant.

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

Hypnales

Family

Thuidiaceae

Genus

Thuidium

Species

Thuidium delicatulum