Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate woodland
Range: Worldwide
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Spores
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Uncommon

About

This moss grows in dense, tangled mats across damp soil and rotting logs. It absorbs water through its entire surface to survive dry spells without roots.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
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: Brachytheciaceae
Genus: Brachythecium
Species: Brachythecium rutabulum