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Wading Through 20-Inch Deep Moss Is Like Walking on a Pillow of Green Snow
Like pillowy green snow, a video of two men walking through a field of Dawsonia moss, the largest species on earth, is oddly nice.
Travel
For all the curious attributes inherent in mosses, height is not among them. But a video of two jolly lads trudging through a field of 20-inch deep moss serves to make us feel like that’s a shame.
Like a pillowy green snow that doesn’t fall down the back of your neck if you jump in it, the moss is in the Dawsonia genus, and is found only in New Zealand and Australia.
Normally reaching heights reserved for vascular plants, those in the Dawsonia group are part of the highest-growing mosses on the planet: D. superba can reach up to 24 inches (60 cm) high, making it the tallest self-supporting moss on Earth.
Dawsonia mosses are more vascular-like, meaning they can move water further up and down their stems than other mosses.
Furthermore, they have a special moisture-retaining structure in their leaves, which also increases its width and collection area for sunlight.
These adaptations allow the moss to grow much higher than others.