10 Facts About Sphagnum

Sphagnum is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, bog moss and quacker moss .

Sphagnum have a distinct structure adapted to the watery habitats they live in.

The water supports Sphagnum plants, making other strengthening structures unnecessary.

When this fungus and other agarics attack the protonema, Sphagnum is induced to produce nonphotosynthetic gemmae that can survive the fungal attack and months later germinate to produce new protonema and leafy gametophytes.

Sphagnum taxonomy has been very contentious since the early 1900s; most species require microscopic dissection to be identified.

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Sphagnum mosses occur mainly in the Northern Hemisphere in peat bogs, conifer forests, and moist tundra areas.

Sphagnum species are reported from "dripping rocks" in mountainous, subtropical Brazil.

Sphagnum moss has been used for centuries as a dressing for wounds, including through World War I Preparations using Sphagnum such as Sphagnol soap have been used for various skin conditions including acne, ringworm, and eczema.

Harvesting aside, bogs where Sphagnum grows have come under threat by the development of wind farms in cool humid areas such as the Cordillera del Piuchen where the San Pedro Wind Farm was constructed in the 2010s.

In some cases, better care is taken during the harvesting of Sphagnum to ensure enough moss is remaining to allow regrowth.