- The plants are usually thalloid in nature.
- The roots are absent instead it is replaced by the root like unicellular or the multicellular structure the rhizoids.
- The cell walls are made up of cellulose.
- The reserve food materials are the starch.
- The mode of nutrition is autotrophic since it possesses chloroplast.
- Vascular tissue like xylem and phloem are absent which are the characteristics of higher plants.
- Gametophytic phase is the dominant phase in the life cycle.
- Formation of flagellate and motile sperms; usually whiplash flagella.
- Water is needed for fertilization.
- The young gametophytic phases of most mosses are green and filamentous which resembles the thallus of green algae.