 Dehydration protection provided by a maternal cuticle improves offspring fitness in the moss "Funaria hygrometrica" and in the sporophytes of all vascular plants.In angiosperms the cuticle tends to be thicker on the top of the leaf (adaxial surface), but is not always thicker.The leaves of xerophytic plants adapted to drier climates have more equal cuticle thicknesses compared to those of mesophytic plants from wetter climates that do not have a high risk of dehydration from the under sides of their leaves.