Sphagnum is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species[2][3] of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of Sphagnum can store water, since both living and dead plants can hold large quantities of water inside their cells; plants may hold 16 to 26 times as much water as their dry weight, depending on the species.[4] The empty cells help retain water in drier conditions.
As Sphagnum moss grows, it can slowly spread into drier conditions, forming larger mires, both raised bogs and blanket bogs.[5] Thus, Sphagnum can influence the composition of such habitats, with some describing Sphagnum as 'habitat manipulators'.[6] These peat accumulations then provide habitat for a wide array of peatland plants, including sedges and ericaceous shrubs, as well as orchids and carnivorous plants.[7][8]
Sphagnum and the peat formed from it do not decay readily because of the phenolic compounds embedded in the moss's cell walls. In addition, bogs, like all wetlands, develop anaerobic soil conditions, which produces slower anaerobic decay rather than aerobic microbial action. Peat moss can also acidify its surroundings by taking up cations, such as calcium and magnesium, and releasing hydrogen ions.
Under the right conditions, peat can accumulate to a depth of many meters. Different species of Sphagnum have different tolerance limits for flooding and pH, and any one peatland may have a number of different Sphagnum species.[9][7]
^Tropicos, Isocladus Lindb.
^"Dierk Michaelis (2019): The Sphagnum Species of the World (Sphagnum bible: keys for all peat moss species by continents, and Sphagnum species lists for 20 phytogeographic regions of the world)". Schweizerbart. 21 November 2019.
^"Sphagnum on theplantlist". Theplantlist.org. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
^Bold, H. C. 1967. Morphology of Plants. second ed. Harper and Row, New York. p. 225-229.
^Gorham E. (1957). "The development of peatlands". Quarterly Review of Biology. 32 (2): 145–66. doi:10.1086/401755. S2CID 129085635.
^Walker, M. D. 2019. Sphagnum: the biology of a habitat manipulator. Sicklebrook Publishing, Sheffield, U.K.
^ abO'Neill, Alexander; et al. (25 February 2020). "Establishing Ecological Baselines Around a Temperate Himalayan Peatland". Wetlands Ecology & Management. 28 (2): 375–388. Bibcode:2020WetEM..28..375O. doi:10.1007/s11273-020-09710-7. S2CID 211081106.
^Keddy, P. A. (2010). Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 397 pp.
^Vitt D. H., Slack N. G. (1984). "Niche diversification of Sphagnum relative to environmental factors in northern Minnesota peatlands". Canadian Journal of Botany. 62 (7): 1409–30. doi:10.1139/b84-192.
Sphagnum is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term...
accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials – often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs...
significance of mosses is as the main constituent of peat (mostly the genus Sphagnum), although they are also used for decorative purposes, such as in gardens...
genus Sphagnum: Contents A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Sphagnum aciphyllum Müll. Hal. Sphagnum acutifolioides Warnst. Sphagnum acutirameum...
monotypic genus Ambuchanania. It is a Sphagnum-like moss endemic to Tasmania. Originally described as a species of Sphagnum, it is now a separate genus named...
Lyophyllaceae which parasitizes Sphagnum moss. It was first described by Charles Horton Peck in 1872. It is commonly called the sphagnum greyling due to it being...
sericeum and Flatbergium novo-caledoniae, originally described as species of Sphagnum, are now considered part of this separate genus on the basis of genetic...
Sphagnum girgensohnii, also known as Girgensohn's bogmoss, Girgensohn's sphagnum or common green peat moss, is a species of peat moss with a Holarctic...
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Sphagnum fuscum, the rusty bogmoss or rusty peat moss, is a peat moss found commonly in Norway and Sweden, and can be found scattered across North America...
Sphagnum rubellum, the red peat moss, is a widespread species of moss in the family Sphagnaceae, native to the cool temperate parts of North America and...
Sphagnum palustre (Syn. Sphagnum cymbifolium), the prairie sphagnum or blunt-leaved bogmoss, is a species of peat moss from the genus Sphagnum, in the...
Sphagnum Valley (54°16′S 36°35′W / 54.267°S 36.583°W / -54.267; -36.583) is a valley sloping northwest from Echo Pass to Cumberland West Bay, South...
Sphagnum papillosum, the papillose peatmoss, is a species of peat moss distributed throughout the northern hemisphere. Although sometimes confused with...
Sphagnum magellanicum, commonly called Magellanic bogmoss, Magellan's sphagnum, Magellan's peatmoss or midway peat moss, is a widespread species of moss...
Sphagnum centrale is a species of moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae. It has cosmopolitan distribution. It is often found in cedar swamps and similar...
Sphagnum capillifolium, the red bogmoss, northern peat moss, acute-leaved bog-moss, or small red peat moss, is a species of peat moss native to Canada...
Neonemobius palustris, known generally as the sphagnum ground cricket or marsh ground cricket, is a species of ground cricket in the family Gryllidae....
Sphagnum cuspidatum, the feathery bogmoss, toothed sphagnum, or toothed peat moss, is a peat moss found commonly in Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, the...
Sphagnum squarrosum, commonly known as the spiky bog-moss or spreading-leaved bog moss is a species of moss which grows in nutrient-rich, damp soil. Typical...
Sphagnum australe is a species of Sphagnum found in southeastern Australia. S. australe is very hard to differentiate from other species of sphagnum moss...
unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. Sphagnum moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most common components in peat...
it resembles the living moss genus Sphagnum, though its leaf cells are not as strongly dimorphic as in Sphagnum. Nejburg, M. F. (1960). "Leafy mosses...
Sphagnum fallax, the flat-topped bogmoss, is a moss species in the genus Sphagnum Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sphagnum fallax. Wikispecies...
Sphagnum compactum, the compact bogmoss, is a species of moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae. It has cosmopolitan distribution. "Sphagnum compactum...
Nehalennia gracilis, the sphagnum sprite, is a species of narrow-winged damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is found in North America. The IUCN...
Heloxycanus patricki, also known as the sphagnum porina moth, is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae, the ghost moths. It is the only member of...
Sphagnum subnitens is a species of moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae. It has almost cosmopolitan distribution. "Sphagnum subnitens Russow & Warnstorf...
Sphagnum platyphyllum, the flat-leaved bogmoss, is a species of moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae. It has almost cosmopolitan distribution. "Sphagnum...
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