sphagnum moss
Sphagnum
Summary 2
Sphagnum is a genus of approximately 120 species of mosses. Sphagnum accumulations can store water, since both living and dead plants can hold large quantities of water inside their cells; plants may hold from 16-26 times as much water as their dry weight depending on the species. The empty cells help retain water in drier conditions. Hence, as sphagnum moss grows, it can slowly spread into drier conditions, forming larger peatlands, both raised bogs and blanket...
Sources and Credits
- (c) David Shand, some rights reserved (CC BY-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/14508691@N08/4740518794
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphagnum
