#Syntrichia laevipila

[schistostegapennata]

So my husband told me the other day that I couldn’t be mossifying because I don’t stay hydrated enough and I’m salty about that so rather than hydrate I want to know if there’s any kind of moss that doesn’t require a lot of moisture, or even thrives without it?

Oh no, I've got good news though!! You absolutely can be mossifying on low hydration, there's a whole range of mosses that do well in arid climates :) They're very important to help protect from soil erosion and can also prevent invasive grasses from spreading.

Here are a few:

Syntrichia laevipila does really well with low moisture, notably having a growth structure that allows it to reproduce asexually. This is a particular advantage in dry places because while mosses that reproduce sexually require water for sperm cells to be released to begin the cycle, mosses like Syntrichia laevipila do not and can repopulate themselves from tiny fragments with little hydration.

Then there's silver moss (Bryum argenteum), which is a super common moss that resists just about everything, including full desiccation. Silver moss can live well on low hydration and is frequently found in urban areas as well, growing on walls and in sidewalk crevices. It can also spread by shedding fragments when people or animals step on it and then regenerating in a new location

Ceratodon purpureus, also called redshank or fire moss, loves dry, sandy soil. It has also adapted well to urban areas due to its high pollution tolerance. Fire moss can be found just about anywhere in the world, including in the Antarctic! (fun moss fact: mosses that are drought tolerant are often freeze resistant as well)

Also, most mosses--even those that require lots of moisture--are able to go dormant to wait out a dry spell, and then rehydrate and come back to life once conditions are good again!