Flora

Composed of 15,000 – 25,000 species, they occur on every continent.

They date back 450 million years, and have survived and thrived through a range of drastic climate changes. 

Unlike most other plants, mosses don’t have roots, Instead they have rhizoids, which are small hairlike structures.

Their main function is anchoring the plant to rock, bark or soil. So without roots, some moss suck nutrients up through the rhizoids and others draw in moisture and minerals from rain and the water around them through their highly absorbent surfaces.

Certain Mosses do Amazingly in a terrarium environment. I like to examine the area the moss is growing, does it occur on the forest floor or on a tree, tree bark or rotting wood, anchored to rocks or spreading on soil.

For example this type of Pin Cushion Moss prefers to be anchored to something vertical where it will have access to the humidity but not the water.

This type of Badge moss likes to grow on a mud like surface usually in the ground, and while it wont carpet the floor of your terrarium, it adds texture and contrast.

This type of Hipnum Moss is great for carpeting Floors and Backgrounds alike (provided it gets enough humidity in a vertical setting.

See Ethical Foraging, Propagation and Care Guide for Full details

(class Polypodiopsida), class of nonflowering, herbaceous vascular plants that possess true roots, stems, and complex leaves and that reproduce by spores. The number of known extant fern species is about 10,500, but estimates have ranged as high as 15,000

Beginning about 358.9 million years ago, ferns are some of the most Ancient Flora of our Planet.

Smaller “Micro” Ferns are some of my favorite plants to add to a terrarium, they take time to acclimate but once they do they will regularly send out “Runners” these are root like structures called Rhizomes from which another fern will pop out.

Some Ferns must be trimmed back for general aesthetics of the Build as they can take over, but as they are slow growers, whenever you see a fern “pup” they can be relocated, or planted in a pot for use in future projects.