ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Physcomitrella patens

Physcomitrella patens is a type of moss, and moss is a very small green plant that grows in damp places. Physcomitrella patens is special because scientists like to study it. They like to study it because it is really easy to grow and it helps them learn more about how plants grow and how they work.

One big reason scientists study Physcomitrella patens is because it has a special cell phone. Just like we carry cell phones to communicate, plants also have cell phones to talk to each other. These cell phones help plants know when it is time to grow, when it is time to flower, and when it is time to stop growing. Scientists study Physcomitrella patens because it has a special cell phone that is different from most other plants. They want to learn more about how it works and how plants use it to talk to each other.

Physcomitrella patens is also special because it can grow from just a tiny piece of itself. Scientists call this "regeneration." This means if you break a piece of Physcomitrella patens, it can grow back into a whole new plant! This is really cool because not all plants can do this. Scientists study Physcomitrella patens to learn more about how it can do this and how other plants might be able to do it too.

So, in summary, Physcomitrella patens is a small green plant that scientists like to study because it has a special cell phone and can regenerate from just a tiny piece of itself.