moss

A small, non-vascular plant of the division Bryophyta — among the oldest land plants on earth, lacking true roots, stems, or leaves, reproducing by spores, and absorbing water directly through its surface. Moss grows on rock, bark, soil, and any surface that holds moisture. It requires no soil to establish. Sphagnum moss builds entire ecosystems — bogs — by creating and maintaining the acidic, waterlogged conditions it needs. Moss is patient, slow, and powerful: it can split stone, hold ten times its weight in water, and colonize terrain that defeats everything else.