| The formation of the moss-plant on the protonema is always from a single cell and is similar in all mosses. |
| The spore on germination forms a short filament which soon broadens out into the thalloid protonema. |
| The protonema forms a flat, lobed, thalloid structure attached to the soil by rhizoids, and the plants arise from marginal cells. |
| Ultimately, the gametophyte grows from a small bud produced by a cell of the protonema that divides and differentiates. |
| In mosses a filamentous growth, the protonema, is first formed, and the leafy plants arise upon this. |
| Erect branches may arise from the protonema, and gemmae may be developed on it. |
