I've done fluffy white dandilion heads etc. I've also lit paper, by scrapping it with a knife to make a fine dust or shreds. Tinder generally needs to be finely divided, ideally fluffy, and dry.

It's safer to carry tinder rather than rely on what you can find, because you might not find anything suitable in a hurry. That said, I know I can usually improvise tinder, at least if I have a knife and plenty of time, so in that respect SparkLite and similar are better than matches.