sphagnum

American  

[sfag-nuhm] / ˈsfæg nəm /

noun

1. any soft moss of the genus Sphagnum, occurring chiefly in bogs, used for potting and packing plants, for dressing wounds, etc.

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sphagnum British  

/ ˈsfæɡnəm /

noun

1. Also called: peat moss, bog moss. any moss of the genus Sphagnum, of temperate bogs, having leaves capable of holding much water: layers of these mosses decay to form peat

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sphagnum Scientific  

/ sfăg′nəm /

1. See peat moss

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Other Word Forms

• sphagnous
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of sphagnum

1745–55; < New Latin, alteration of Greek sphágnos a moss

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sphagnum

As sphagnum grows, its lower layers are compressed by the weight above.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Jones said the best way to spot healthy peatland was the plants growing on it, "there'll be grasses, sedges, heathers, critically there will often be bog mosses of the genus sphagnum".

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

To explore potential targets for treatment-shortening strategies, Malhotra and colleagues turned to sphagnum peat bogs.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 3, 2024

And in peat bogs, the acid in sphagnum moss puts soft tissue through a tanning process that often preserves brain tissue.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 19, 2024

He bandaged the wound with sphagnum moss and strips of deer hide.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

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