Talk:Sphagnum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
Sphagnum is within the scope of WikiProject Plants, an attempt to better organize information in articles related to plants and botany. For more information, visit the project page. |
| B | This article has been rated as B-class on the quality scale. |
| High | This article has been rated as High-importance on the importance scale. |
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.
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. Some people disagree: [1]
Someone should add something about the different species of sphagnum, cause now im screwed.
[edit] 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: 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)
