Moss and Lichen

About this book

This book is a fascinating exploration of mosses and lichens, celebrating the extraordinary biology, beauty and resilience of these unassuming organisms. Endowed with unique superpowers, from enduring desiccation to thriving in extreme habitats, mosses and lichens defy easy categorization. Mosses, integral to the plant kingdom, and lichens, a kingdom unto themselves, colonize a great variety of landscapes, from rainforests to deserts and urban pavements. Neglected in the past for their lack of flowers, these organisms now garner recognition for their significant role in maintaining the health of our world's ecosystem. Elizabeth Lawson's book shows how they shape landscapes, prevent erosion and sequester carbon, and surveys the biologists, artists and writers who celebrate their importance. Moss and Lichen inspires a newfound appreciation for these unsung heroes of the natural world.

Contents

Introduction: The Cryptogamic Carpet
One Curious Vegetation
Two Moss: Versatile Minimalist
Three Lichen: Complex Individuality
Four Moss and Lichen: Cosmopolitan Extremophiles
Five Bogland
Six Moss and Lichen: Literary Ecology
Seven Curious Observers
Eight #moss#lichen

Timeline
References
Further Reading
Associations and Websites
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Elizabeth Lawson is a naturalist, writer, and former president of the American Primrose Society. Her books include Primrose, also in Reaktion Books' Botanical series.