A genus of tiny dark mosses found primarily on rocks in mountainous regions around the world.
Named after botanist Johann Gerhard Andreas (1662-1728) who studied mosses. The genus was formally described in the 18th century and still bears his Latinized name.
Andreaea mosses are so small and dark that hikers walk past them millions of times without noticing, but they're ecological engineers—they slowly break down bare rock into soil, which is literally how mountains become forests over millennia.
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