Sphagnum capillifolium

Sphagnum capillifolium, the red bogmoss,[1] northern peat moss, acute-leaved bog-moss, or small red peat moss, is a species of peat moss native to Canada, the northern United States, Greenland, and Europe.[2] Small red peat moss can be distinguished by its sweeping, outward-curving branches that resemble tresses. Sphagnum moss can hold large amounts of water within its cells, up to 20 times its own weight! This capability is due to its dead, empty cells called hyaline cells that fill up with water. This allows the moss to survive in wet boggy habitats around rivers and lakes [3]

Sphagnum capillifolium
Small red peat moss in Lake Superior Provincial Park
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Bryophyta
Class: Sphagnopsida
Order: Sphagnales
Family: Sphagnaceae
Genus: Sphagnum
Species:
S. capillifolium
Binomial name
Sphagnum capillifolium
Synonyms
  • S. palustre var. capillifolium Ehrh.
  • S. acutifolium var. capillifolium (Ehrh.) Funck
  • S. nemoreum

Description

Small red peat is a brownish-green to pinkish-red moss forming tight, carpet-like mounds. The leaves have no midrib and are tongue-shaped with a bluntly-pointed tip.[4]

References
  1. Edwards, Sean R. (2012). English Names for British Bryophytes. British Bryological Society Special Volume. Vol. 5 (4 ed.). Wootton, Northampton: British Bryological Society. ISBN 978-0-9561310-2-7. ISSN 0268-8034.
  2. Flora of North America. n.d. Sphagnum capillifolium (Ehrh.) Hedw.
  3. Highland Moss (2022-03-31). "A few words about moss | Highland Moss". highlandmoss.com/. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  4. Legasy, K., LaBelle-Beadman, S. & Chambers, B. 1995. Forest Plants of Northeastern Ontario. Lone Pine Printers & Queen's Printer for Ontario: Edmonton. ISBN 1-55105-064-1


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