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Weed Identification in Nurseries and Landscapes

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Mosses
Weed Identification in Nurseries and Landscapes > Mosses
Life cycle: Mat-forming, mostly perennial spore-producing plants.

General description: Low-growing plants with very small foliage that form dense clumps in shady, moist places. Clumps rang from dime-sized to several feet across. Some upright growth is possible, but plants usually reach only 0.25 to 1 inch in height. Plants have rootlike rhizoids, which are not true roots but have similar functions. New plants form by vegetative reproduction and by spores released from capsules at the ends of leafless stalks. No true flowers or fruit are produced.

Moss on a soil surface.
Moss on a soil surface.
Leaves: Densely and spirally arranged leaves are very small, 1/16 to 1/8 inch long and awl-shaped. They lack petioles.

Stems: Slender, hairlike and highly branching.

Reproduction: Vegetatively and by spores.
Moss capsules Close-up of moss foliage. Close-up of moss capsules.
Close-up of moss foliage. Close-up of moss foliage. Close-up of moss capsules.
The MSU IPM Program maintains this site as an access point to pest management information at MSU. The IPM Program is administered within the Department of Entomology, fueled by research from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, delivered to citizens through MSU Extension, and proud to be a part of Project GREEEN.
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Updated: 10/18/07