Mosses, lichens and fungi do not have flowers. Without flowers they cannot make seeds. Their new plants grow from spores instead. Mosses, lichens and fungi do not need to grow in soil. Mosses make their own food. Fungi feed on the dead things they grow on!
A patch of moss is made up of hundreds of tiny moss plants.
Moss can grow on the ground, on rocks or on rotting logs in cool, damp places. There are nearly 10,000 different species of moss. They are usually small plants but in tropical parts of the world, some mosses can reach 70 cm tall.
Lichens can grow on trees or on rock.
Many tiny lichen plants grow side by side and form larger patches of colour. Lichens are made of two types of plants, usually fungi and algae.
Fungus grows on dead leaves, trees and old food.
A fungus has no green parts and cannot make its own food. Mushrooms, toadstools and moulds are fungi. Fungi feed off the rotting parts of plants and animals they grow on. Although some of them are edible, it is best to avoid any you come across in the wild. Some toadstools can kill a human.
