Lucknow, Aug 20 (IANS) The National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) here has set up India’s first moss garden, scientists said Wednesday.The garden, which will be inaugurated soon, is only the third of its kind in the world. The other two moss gardens are in Japan and Poland, the scientists added.

Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1-10 cm and grow in wet earth or on rocks, walls and tree trunks.

Several mosses have commercial value owing to their therapeutic, medicinal and other properties.

The garden will assist scientists in undertaking studies on mosses and exploring their medicinal potential, he added.

At present, the moss garden has about 18 different species that have been collected from Nagaland, Pithoragarh, the Himalayas and parts of South India, scientists said.