![]() Fortunately, the rainforests of Olympic are very soggy, receiving an average of 138 inches (3.5 meters) annually. Without this waxy film, they lose moisture and can dry out very quickly. Mosses not only lack true leaves, stems, and roots, but they also lack the protective outer cuticle most other plants have. Just one of many varieties, Stair-Step Moss earns its name by growing on top of the previous year's growth The fungus provides the structure while the algae provides the nutrition via photosynthesis. Lichens are composed of fungi living in a symbiotic relationship with green algae or cyanobacteria. It's not a plant at all! While looking at these spectacular formations, visitors are actually seeing two separate organisms working as one. However, this "hanging moss" is not actually a moss. Individuals like Old Man's Beard and Witch's Hair are given their descriptive names by their draping, curtain-like nature. Just as important to the forest are the assorted lichens that can be found hanging from high limbs. The sheer volume of moss growing in Olympic’s rainforests also provides for other plants. Regardless of their primitive structure, the lack of these systems allows mosses to be able to grow just about anywhere throughout these forests. Unlike the ferns that also grow throughout the forest floor, mosses do not have true leaves, stems, or roots. This is because mosses are non-vascular, meaning they lack certain specialized tissues used for transporting water throughout their bodies. Despite resembling other greenery, mosses are quite different from the rest of the forest’s undergrowth. ![]() ![]() Varieties like the stair-step moss, cattail moss, spike mosses and club mosses, intertwine to become a diverse, albeit small, forest. With hundreds of species, mosses are found in abundance all over Olympic National Park. Even in small areas, many species of moss and lichen can flourish
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