Talk:Sphagnum

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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.

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.

Spores are released from specialized black, shiny capsules located at the tips of thin stalks. Sphagnum species also reproduce by fragmentation.

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. — Preceding unsigned comment added by an unknown user&#32;13 November 2005‎ 67.8.90.245

harvesting peat moss environmentally damaging
Someone should add something about the harvesting of peat moss being environmentally damaging. Peat moss protects endangered peat bogs, without it the bogs dry out and are lost. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.12.166.85 (talk) 18:07, 7 January 2006 (UTC)
 * some people disagree: — Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.159.160.242 (talk) 12:12, 3 October 2007 (UTC)

The global importance of Sphagnum spp. in sequestering carbon
This needs a section. Harvesting and draining peat bogs damages this capacity, whereas restoring or creating wetlands gives Sphagnum spp. space to grow. The Wikipedia article on mangroves, for example, mentions sequestration in its introduction. I hope editors with specialist knowledge will add a well-referenced section

Someone should
Someone should add something about the different species of sphagnum, cause now im screwed. Toolanky — Preceding unsigned comment added by an unknown user&#32;08:53, 3 April 2006‎

sustainable yield programme
The article talks about a sustainable yield programme from the Department of Conservation, this is not correct - they allow full scale harvesting on their land and receive substantial revenue especially the West Coast region. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mossy nz (talk • contribs) 10:46, 12 May 2009 (UTC)

medium for tree seedlings
Perhaps something should be said about sphag as medium for tree seedlings. Horticulturalists use it for some growing, foresters allow black spruce to be planted in the moss and many species of tree naturally grow in it. cool — Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.68.85.27 (talk) 02:22, 15 November 2011 (UTC)

Conservation section
I added something to the Conservation section on whether peat moss is a non-renewable resource. I do community gardening, am environmentally responsible generally, but I do use peat. I was surprised not to find this issue addressed here. I tried to briefly give a balanced view of pros and cons regarding whether peat is renewable and to what extent mining peat is damaging the environment. I would welcome corrections/changes by more experienced/knowledgeable contributors. --Bmorrisett (talk) 16:10, 4 July 2014 (UTC)

NPK of Peat Moss?
Question: What is the NPK of Peat Moss? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ribazole (talk • contribs) 06:16, 10 August 2015 (UTC) Moss is not a fertilizer, so npk is irrelevant, thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.141.106.240 (talk) 12:59, 7 June 2019 (UTC)

More info
The articles in several of the other wikis hold a lot of additional info for those who wish to do some translating - da: de: 4 lt: fi: and sv: seem particularly useful. I've added some of the species names across, though these should be checked against other floristic sources for verification - MPF 15:30, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Number of species?
The article states 120 species, which comes from. Another source ( says, nearly 350 species. It's unclear which is the more reliable source.  -- RoySmith (talk) 00:44, 30 November 2013 (UTC)

External links modified (January 2018)
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Article Needs Work
Thank you, previous contributors, for finding factoids, sentences, and other fragmented information on moss and citing them. We need to turn this into coherent, well written article. I aim to take a run at this. Moss scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer would be a good source for those that want to help. Her book Gathering Moss is both scientific, citable, and well written. Wish me luck, and chip in if you will! thanks, Ben 72.141.106.240 (talk) 11:58, 7 June 2019 (UTC)

Habitat?
There is no mention of where they grow other than some specific locations in the Northern Hemisphere. Along with this there is no information on what temperature range they live in, or any actual statement of what type of ecosystems they live in. It is only implied by the pictures and some parts talking about other things. Also 'Geological Distribution' should be changed to 'Habitats'. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1702:47F0:DBB0:89B0:F1FB:B0EF:4278 (talk) 18:16, 20 October 2020 (UTC)

Not sure what the writer means to say
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphagnum#Chile "changing by the way also of the local hydrology" - is this supposed to say "also changing the local hydrology" ? 2600:8807:4804:9C1D:598B:3120:EF6:15C1 (talk) 03:27, 11 January 2021 (UTC) (dfoofnik not signed in)

Points to think about adding.
Great article! I have some remarks I would like to share.

I noticed there were was no mention of bogs or fens nor their biological and chemical differences in relation to how they form and how they behave differently.

I also think that there should be a heading for climate change. This is evidently becoming a more pronounced reality and understanding the role of peat-bogs in combatting climate change is important, therefore; further mention of the effect of climate change on peat-bogs' ability to sequester carbon should be mentioned since their ability to do so depends on thermal and hydrologic regimes.

Numbers. I think some numbers that need to be added are: percentage/amount of carbon sequestered globally, global area of peat-bogs, global area of peat-bogs being harvested, global area of destroyed peat-bogs.

This article is a vital source of information for many people, and serves to spearhead the dispersion of knowledge to those that are beginning to develop their environmental awareness. These topics would be critical to consider adding to give this article more depth and breadth. IkeSOH (talk) 16:20, 19 January 2023 (UTC)


 * The content proposed by @IkeSOH honestly belongs in sub-sections of Bog or maybe Peat or Carbon sequestration. This article is about the genus Sphagnum. Polytrichum commune (talk) 14:15, 14 February 2024 (UTC)
 * I have COMPLETELY changed my mind. Polytrichum commune (talk) 14:26, 14 February 2024 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Practical Research Methodology
— Assignment last updated by IkeSOH (talk) 16:38, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Getting this to GA
Hi friends! I'm going to attempt to elevate this article to something which could be submitted for GA peer review. Feel free to chime in! Polytrichum commune (talk) 13:43, 14 February 2024 (UTC)


 * I'm changing the "Sphagnum structure" section title to "Physiology of plants in the genus Sphagnum." Articles for a specific species of plant typically title this section "Physiology." The section, however, describes the physiological traits which characterize every plant in the Sphagnum genus. The title "Physiological traits characteristic of plants in the genus Sphagnum" is much too long, but I do think the current "Sphagnum structure" is a bit ambiguous, as section titles go.
 * Polytrichum commune (talk) 13:59, 14 February 2024 (UTC)
 * After thinking about it, I've decided not to move forwards with IkeSOH's notes on additional content for this article. The content proposed by IkeSOH honestly belongs in sub-sections of Bog or maybe Peat or Carbon sequestration. This article is about the genus Sphagnum. Polytrichum commune (talk) 14:07, 14 February 2024 (UTC)
 * I do think that consensus on this talk page HEAVILY favors mentioning the importance of Sphagnum species in carbon sequestration, so a paragraph or two is probably in order.
 * Polytrichum commune (talk) 14:19, 14 February 2024 (UTC)
 * I've changed my mind. In order to bring this article to GA, it'll need to cover a broad range of topics. Also, I underestimated the incredible ecological importance of Sphagnum in peat bogs. After some research, I'm fully in agreement with IkeSOH. Polytrichum commune (talk) 14:25, 14 February 2024 (UTC)
 * I'm picking up a copy of Dr. Kimmerer's book Gathering Moss and proceeding with Ben's suggestion.
 * Polytrichum commune (talk) 14:08, 14 February 2024 (UTC)