| MadSci Network: Botany |
The first reference discusses bryophytes, which includes true mosses, hornworts and liverworts. Sphagnum moss is the most economically important bryophyte because partly decayed Sphagnum, termed peat moss, is burned as fuel in Europe and Russia. Peat moss is also widely used in gardening in potting soils and as an soil amendment. Living sheets of sphagnum moss are used for living wreaths, wire topiaries, to line hanging baskets and as a groundcover in terrariums. Chopped sphagnum moss is used as a seed germination medium. Peat bogs that are drained often become very productive agricultural fields. Sphagnum moss is also used as a packing material. Club moss is the common name for the phylum Lycophyta, the family Lycopodiaceae and the genus Lycopodium. Lycophyta are not bryophytes but seedless vascular plants, a group that also includes ferns, whisk ferns, and horsetails. Lycophyta contains three main living genera, Lycopodium, Selaginella and Isoetes. Lycophyta are mainly small evergreen plants that often help prevent soil erosion and assist in soil formation. Many are epiphytes in tropical and subtropical forests. Giant club mosses over 30 meters tall were dominant in the Carboniferous era and make up part of the vast coal deposits formed in that era. Some native American Lycopodiums, called ground pines, were once widely used as Christmas greens or aquarium plants but now are protected in the wild. They are sometimes cultivated outdoors. Club moss spores of Lycopodium clavatum can be used as flash powder, in fireworks and in medicine to prevent pills from sticking together and as a waterproof powder for skin diseases and to prevent diaper rash. Dried plants of Lycopodium clavatum were once used to treat a variety of diseases. Selaginella (spike mosses) are often grown as houseplants. The resurrection plant (Selaginella. lepidophylla) is used as a novelty. The resurrection plant is sold as dried brown ball that will quickly uncurl and regreen when wetted. Isoetes (quillworts) often grow underwater in shallow cool waters that may dry up in certain seasons. They are rarely cultivated except for research and teaching use. Quillwort corms are eaten by animals and humans. Bryophyta and Lycophyta may contain some useful genes for genetic engineering. References Re: What are liverworts and what are hornworts? What are they used for? Introduction to Lycophyta Club mosses Arborescent Lycopods Lycopodium medicinal uses Resurrection plant Isoetes
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