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Plants and Beyond In the Garden Center
Botanically, mosses are
bryophytes, or non-vascular plants. They can be distinguished from the
apparently similar liverworts (Marchantiophyta or Hepaticae) by their
multi-cellular rhizoids. Other differences are not universal for all mosses and
all liverworts, but the presence of clearly differentiated "stem" and "leaves",
the lack of deeply lobed or segmented leaves, and the absence of leaves arranged
in three ranks, all point to the plant being a moss.
There are
approximately 10,000 species of moss classified in the Bryophyta.The division
Bryophyta formerly included not only mosses, but also liverworts and
hornworts. These other two groups of bryophytes now are often placed in their
own divisions.
In addition to
lacking a vascular system, mosses have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, i.e.
the plant's cells are haploid for most of its life cycle. Sporophytes (i.e. the
diploid body) are short-lived and dependent on the gametophyte. This is in
contrast to the pattern exhibited by most "higher" plants and by most animals.
In vascular plants, for example, the haploid generation is represented by the
pollen and the ovule, whilst the diploid generation is the familiar flowering
plant.
Popular Species of Ground Cover Plants
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Beacon Silver Lamium
"The Lamium æBeacon SilverÝ, Lamium maculatum, has beautiful oval, gray-green to silvery-white leaves with greenish margins. The short spiked clear, p... more |
Big Blue Liriope
"The Liriope 'Big Blue', Lirope muscari 'Big Blue', also known as Lirope,is a grass-like foliage set with tall spikes of lavender-blue, hyacinth-like ... more |
Big Ears Lambs Ears
"The Stachys æBig Ears LambÝs EarÝ, Stachys byzantina 'Helen von Stein', is known for its soft, fuzzy, silvery green foliage. With spikes of purplish ... more |
Bigleaf Periwinkle
"The Bigleaf Periwinkle, Vinca major, is also known as Greater (rosy) Periwinkle, Big Perwinkle and Large Periwinkle. The plant is shrub-like and grow... more |
Buttered Popcorn Ranunculus
"The Buttered Popcorn', Ranunculus repens, is a great ground cover that vigorously spreads to 4'. Its broad finley cut leaves are silvery-green with a... more |
Candy Stripe Phlox
"The Phlox æCandy StripeÝ, Phlox subulata, is an ideal ground cover with masses of tiny white flowers with a pink mid-stripe and a thick mat of semi-e... more |
Chameleon Plant
"The Houttuynia æChameleon PlantÝ, Houttuynia cordata, is one of the most popular ground covers around. Small white flowers appear from July to August... more |
Creeping Wirevine
"The Creeping Wire vine, Muehlenbeckia, is a vine with strongly rooting and densely intertwining stems. The roughly circular leaves are 1cm across and... more |
Dwarf Mondo Grass
"Dwarf Mondo Grass, Ophiopogon japonicus, is an ornamental grass which grows to 4"" in height and is closely related to the liriope. It is also known ... more |
Emerald Blue Phlox
"The Phlox æEmerald BlueÝ, Phlox subulata, is an ideal ground cover with dark blue flowers and a thick mat of semi-evergreen foliage. Blooming from Ap... more |
Golden Anniversary Lamium
"The Lamiun, 'Golden Anniversary', Lamium maculatum, is a handsome variety without becoming invasive. The pretty pink flowers are almost eclipsed by t... more |
Golden Moneywort
"The Lysimachia æGolden MoneywortÝ, Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea', also known as Creeping Jenny, has dime sized, wonderful evergreen and yellow veined... more |
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