? Peat moss
a clump of Sphagnum, peat moss
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Bryophyta Class: Bryopsida Subclass: Sphagnidae Order: Sphagnales Family: Sphagnaceae Genus: Sphagnum
Species
See text.

Sphagnum is a genus of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs. Members of this genus can hold large quantities of water inside their cells; some species can hold up to 20 times their dry weight in water, which is why peat moss is commonly sold as a soil amendment. Peat moss can acidify its surroundings by taking up cations such as calcium and magnesium and releasing hydrogen ions. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1735x1126, 345 KB) Beschreibung Desription: Sphagnum fallax (Klinggr. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Divisions Green algae land plants (embryophytes) non-vascular embryophytes Hepatophyta - liverworts Anthocerophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses vascular plants (tracheophytes) seedless vascular plants Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongue ferns seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering... Subclasses Andreaeidae Sphagnidae Tetraphidae Polytrichidae Buxbaumiidae Bryidae Archidiidae Moss on a rock Mosses belong to the non-vascular plants. ... Subclasses Sphagnidae Andreaeidae Tetraphidae Polytrichidae Archidiidae Buxbaumiidae Bryidae Moss gametophyte generation plants with a single sporophyte. ... Species See text Sphagnum is a genus of mosses commonly called peat moss due to its prevalence in peat bogs. ... Species See text. ... Species See text. ... In biology, a species is the basic unit of biodiversity. ... In biology, a genus (plural genera) is a taxonomic grouping. ... Subclasses Sphagnidae Andreaeidae Tetraphidae Polytrichidae Archidiidae Buxbaumiidae Bryidae Moss gametophyte generation plants with a single sporophyte. ... Peat in Lewis, Scotland Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter. ... Virgin boreal acid bogs at Browns Lake Bog, Ohio A bog is a wetland type that accumulates peat, a deposit of dead plant material. ... Soil is the material on the surface of a lithosphere subject to weathering, and especially the earthy portion of that material. ... For other uses, see Acid (disambiguation). ... An ion is an atom or group of atoms with a net electric charge. ... General Name, Symbol, Number calcium, Ca, 20 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 4, s Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 40. ... General Name, Symbol, Number magnesium, Mg, 12 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 3, s Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 24. ... General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ...

Individual peat moss plants consist of a main stem, with tightly arranged clusters of branch fascicles usually consisting of 2-3 spreading branches and 2-4 hanging branches. The branches are covered by ovate to lanceolate leaves called branch leaves. The top of the plant, or capitulum, has compact clusters of young branches. Along the stem are scattered leaves of various shape, named stem leaves; the shape varies according to species. The leaves consist of two kinds of cell: small, green, living cells (chlorophyllose cells); and large, clear, structural, dead cells (hyaline cells). The latter have a large water-holding capacity. In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. ...

Spores are released from specialized black, shiny capsules located at the tips of thin stalks. Sphagnum species also reproduce by fragmentation. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Peat moss can be distinguished from other moss species by its unique branch clusters. The plant and stem color, the shape of the branch and stem leaves, and the shape of the green cells are all characteristics used to identify peat moss to species.

Geographic distribution

Common sundew in a peat moss cushion

Peat mosses occur mainly in the Northern Hemisphere where different species dominate the bottom layer of peat bogs and moist tundra areas. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 783 KB) Beschreibung/ Description Bleichmoospolster (Sphagnum spec. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 783 KB) Beschreibung/ Description Bleichmoospolster (Sphagnum spec. ... Binomial name Drosera rotundifolia Linnaeus Drosera rotundifolia (the common sundew or round-leaved sundew) is a species of sundew, a carnivorous plant often found in boggy and marshy locations. ... Insert non-formatted text here The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is north of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On the Earth, the Northern Hemisphere contains most of the land and population. ... In physical geography, tundra is an area where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. ...

The northernmost populations of peat moss lie in the archipelago of Svalbard, arctic Norway at 81° N. New Zealand, Tasmania and southernmost Chile and Peru house the largest peat moss areas in the Southern Hemisphere, but containing comparatively few species. Many species are reported from mountainous, subtropical Brazil, but uncertainty exists regarding the specific status of many of them. Appears also in Sanabria, Spain. Emblems: Flora Tasmanian Blue Gum Fauna none Motto: Ubertas et Fidelitas (Fertility and Faithfulness) Slogan or Nickname: The Apple Isle Other Australian states and territories Capital Hobart Government Governor Premier Const. ... Southern Hemisphere The Southern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is south of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On Earth it contains five continents (Antarctica, Australia, most of South America, parts of Africa, and Asia) as well as four... Spanish surname around since the 15th century Edgar Sanabria - President of Venezuela Mariangela Sanabria - Ontario,Canada party candidate Bobby Sanabria - Afro-Cuban drummer Eddie Sanabria - Puerto Rican Acter Rebecca Sanabria - Actress This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ...

Uses

Peat moss can be used as fertilizer.

Conservation

There is some question about the sustainability of large-scale Sphagnum harvesting. In particular, the extraction of large quantities of moss is a threat to raised bogs [1]. Bog detail Lütt-Witt Moor, a bog in Henstedt-Ulzburg, northern Germany. ...

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Sphagnum