#sphagnaceae

Today's plant is: some kind of Sphagnum!

Sphagnum is the primary contributor to peat deposits in bogs and fens worldwide. These wetlands have made a name for themselves in the last few years as both a quirky internet thing and as globally significant carbon sinks.

While sphagnum is known for being in bogs and fens, species of it grow in all kinds of habitats, provided there's a regular source of moisture. Case in point: I found these funky lil guys on a granite shelf on the side of a mountain in full sun!

You can tell this is sphagnum because of the spherical spore capsules and pyramid-shaped and tightly clustered capitulescence (fancy botany word for the top of the moss). I think they look a little bit star-shaped. These specimens were mid-spore release. All the brown dooblies on little green bracts are the spore carrying gametophytes.

Extra fun facts:

Sphagnum are really cool because they have something called "explosive dehiscence", which means their little spore capsules propel the spores by literally exploding open. I could actually hear them going off in the sun!

Sphagnum can hold 16 to 26 times their dry weight in water because of a matrix of large, empty, "dead" cells called hyaline cells. These cells have a pore that allows them to efficiently take on water — like little water jugs!

Sphagnum sphagnum | Sphagnum Moss

Plant Community: Red Maple Swamp

Type: Moss

Family: Sphagnaceae

Native Status: Northern Hemisphere; Native

Mature Size: Height < 4″| Spread <1″

Habitat / Conditions: Found in wet and boggy areas, likes acidic (low pH) soil, generally not found growing in the woods or in water that contains lime. Sphagnum Moss requires very damp growing conditions. It prefers the open, heathy areas of the bog, often in areas with limestone bedrock.

Hardiness Zone: 3 - 9

Leaf Color: Light Green (can be dark green, pink, or red)

Flower Color / Bloom Time: 

Medicinal Properties:

The whole fresh plant is antiseptic. Because of its absorptive properties, it makes an excellent wound dressing and has been widely employed for this purpose in the past. Its use is said to have saved the lives of thousands of soldiers in the First World War. The moss is dried thoroughly before use. A tar extracted from the decaying moss is antiseptic and is seen as a valuable external application in the treatment of eczema, psoriasis, pruritus and many other forms of skin diseases. It is very beneficial for allaying irritation from insect bites and can also serve as a preventative to being bitten.

Sources:

https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Sphagnum

http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/fieldbio/Survival/Pages/sphagnummoss.html

https://carnivorousplantnursery.com/products/sphagnum-moss-red

A history of development of peat mosses (Sphagnum) and a monograph of the species occurring in Europe ;By Schimper, Wilhelm-Philippe, 1808-1880,ht on Flickr.

A history of development of peat mosses (Sphagnum) and a monograph of the species occurring in Europe ;By Schimper, Wilhelm-Philippe, 1808-1880,ht on Flickr.