Big Moss (Dawsonia superba)
A 'mega-moss', its leaves are the largest and anatomically most advanced of any moss, and it is also the worlds tallest self-supporting moss. On Borneo's Mount Kinabalu, plants a metre high have been recorded.
Related to the panglobal species Common Haircap moss (Polytrichum commune) and looks like a giant version of that.
It has rudimentary water-conducting cells in the core of its stems and leaves. These are termed the hydrome, analogous to xylem in vascular plants. Unlike xylem, the exterior walls of the hydrome cells do not contain any lignin, so their mechanical stiffness is very limited.
Big Moss (Dawsonia superba)
A 'mega-moss', its leaves are the largest and anatomically most advanced of any moss, and it is also the worlds tallest self-supporting moss. On Borneo's Mount Kinabalu, plants a metre high have been recorded.
Related to the panglobal species Common Haircap moss (Polytrichum commune) and looks like a giant version of that.
It has rudimentary water-conducting cells in the core of its stems and leaves. These are termed the hydrome, analogous to xylem in vascular plants. Unlike xylem, the exterior walls of the hydrome cells do not contain any lignin, so their mechanical stiffness is very limited.