The second group of simple plants is mosses. Like algae they also lack true roots, stem, or leaves.
MOSS LIFE CYCLE
Although mosses are very primitive plants, their life cycle is in many ways very similar to all other land plants in that they have an alternation of generations. All land plants have alternating generations where one generation (the gametophyte generation) has half the genetic material as the second generation (the sporophyte).
Umbrella mossThe gametophyte is produced when spores released from the sporophyte establish and begin dividing. When gametophytes are covered in a thin film of water, sperm cells are able to travel from one gametophyte to another and fertilize an eggs. The fertilised egg then develops into the sporophyte, which will in turn produce spores. The gametophyte is the dominant generation and the sporophyte is only able to survive due to the water and nutrients provided by the gametophyte. This is the opposite of almost all other land plants.