Considerable masses of hair-cap mosses often naturally form in fields and peat bogs, and they are also sometimes cultivated as a ground cover or as garden subjects. The gametophyte generation of the mosses can be quite attractive. The most popular variety, P. commune, typically exhibits dark green, leathery leaf-like structures termed phyllids that may be held six inches or more in the air on erect stems. The phyllids are pointed and arranged spirally so that to an observer viewing them from above, the moss appears to be comprised of many small, leafy stars. Antheridia and archegonia grow at the tips of separate male and female plants, and the male reproductive organs form appealing flower-like structures on an annual basis. View a larger version of this digital image. |