Common vs. Latin Names ft. Mosses

Did you know that many mosses don't have any common names? When talking mosses, it is more normal to use their Latin names instead of a common name, especially compared to other groups of organisms. There are close to 12000 species of mosses that are usually just lumped into the category of "moss" without specifying the type of moss.

Common names can be easier to remember for a lot of people, the problem is that language is always changing. One word may mean something one day and something else another day. However Latin, that is used to name and classify different species, will not change since the language is not used anymore. Common names are also more regional and can be different in different parts of the world. The Latin is more universal so that people from different reaches of the world will know what is being talked about.

Unfortunately Latin can also be confusing to read and say, which might make learning about mosses that much harder. But mosses are amazing miniature ecosystems, so take a moment today to learn a type of moss. You might learn a bit of Latin while you're at it.