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Name:   Scott
Status:    educator
Age:    20s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: Around 1999
Question:
Is there any truth to the fact that moss only grows on the north side?


Replies:
Scott,

Not really. If lost in a forest, you will find that the location of moss does not really aid in finding your way out. Moss can and does grow on surfaces facing all sides.

Thanks for using NEWTON!

Ric Rupnik

Dear Scott,

Mosses commonly grow in damp, shaded places such as north sides of trees and buildings; however, they do grow in diverse habitats.

Sincerely,

Anthony R. Brach, Ph.D.

Because they are simple plants with limited ability to take up water, mosses usually grow in fairly damp, cool places. In somewhat open areas the north side of trees (in the northern hemisphere) is usually cooler and damper than the south where exposure to sun is more likely. In denser, well shaded forests moss is likely to be on any side of a tree.

J. Elliott

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