Moss

Kingdom: Plantea
Division: Bryophyta
Class: Bryopsida

The Bryopsida is the largest class of moss that we know. It contains almost 95% of all moss species. There are approximately 12,000 species in and they are common througout the whole world and most are classified in the Bryophyta. The division Bryophyta used to includ not only mosses, but liverworts and hornworts, they are now considered bryophytes. The Bryopsida Moss tends to grow in clumps or matts in damp shady locations. This moss are bryophytes, or non-vascular. Some of the ways you can tell a moss is that there are differentiated stems and leaves, there are no segmented leaves or lobed leaves and there are not leaves arranged in three ranks.
A moss is haploid for most of its life cycle. Its hard to tell how old moss is because they are so fragile. And interesting fact about is that they used to use moss in WWI as a first aid dressing because they are so absorbant and they also have a mild antibacterial content. It is also thought they may have been used a diapers very early on in history.

Most of what you see in this picture is reindeer moss which is acually a lichen, it is a combination of fungus and alge. The moss is the actual very green, very small ground cover underneath the lichen.