Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

356

Moisture-loving

plants

Mosses and

liverworts grow

beside streams

and rivers because

they need a damp

environment to

reproduce and

survive. they lack

roots and instead,

their leaves take

in as well as lose

moisture from

the air.

liverwort

the liverwort grows close

to the ground, from which

it soaks up moisture. some

liverworts, mosses, and

ferns grow on trees and

other plants, which they

cling to for support.

Liverworts

take their name

from their shape,

which looks like the

human liver.

bracken

bracken is found on

every continent except

antarctica. it has

far-reaching roots and

underground stems, and

spreads quickly across

grassland and woodland.

bracken is a nuisance to many

farmers and gardeners because it

is very difficult to remove once it has

become established.

Polypody fern fronds

stay green all

winter.

Carpet of moss covers

wet bark on log.

MistY tropical rain Forests and moist, shady

woodlands shelter some of the simplest land plants.

these are mosses and liverworts, also seen on

logs, stone walls, and garden lawns. they are

quite different from other plants. they have no

true root systems, flowers, or seeds. instead,

mosses and liverworts have tiny rootlets that

absorb only a small amount of water from the soil,

and short-stemmed leaves that take in moisture from

the air. there are 11 different types of non-flowering plants.

Ferns are also flowerless. they are an ancient group of

plants that have grown on earth for more than 300 million

years. unlike mosses and liverworts, ferns do have true roots,

with vessels inside their stems that carry water to the leaves.

the giant tree ferns are the largest of all ferns. they grow

up to 65 ft (20 m) high and look like palm trees. the smallest ferns in tropical

rain forests are tiny, with leaflike fronds less than 0.5 in (1 cm) long. Ferns grow

in most kinds of soil, but not in hot desert sand.

How Moss

reproduces

the leafy moss plant has

male and female organs.

the fertilized spores grow

in the brown spore-

containing capsules, which

are held above the leaves

on long stalks.

Fern

a new fern frond

gradually unfurls. when

it is mature, brown dots

called sori appear on the

frond. these sori contain

spores. the spores grow

into tiny heart-shaped

plants, which bear male

and female organs.

Bracken

spreads into a

pasture, reducing the

grazing area.

bog Moss

sphagnum moss is one of the few

plants found in marshy waterlogged

areas. it grows very well in swamps,

forming wet, spongy hummocks. as

the sphagnum dies, it rots slowly, and

over many centuries turns into

mossy peat below the surface.

Mosses, liverworts,

Curled-up

frond of

polypody

fern

Tip of

frond

uncurls

Sori are on the

underside of

fern frond.

Fern

Liverwort

Find out more

Forest wildlife

Marsh

and swamp wildlife

plants

soil

and ferns

Horsetails

Horsetails are fernlike

plants with no flowers.

about 300 million

years ago, forests of

giant horsetails grew

up to 150 ft (46 m)

high. their remains

have turned into coal.

US_356_Mosses_liverworts.indd 356 12/02/16 5:39 pm