Identifying bog moss (Sphagna)
Sphagna are distinctive mosses found in wet habitats in the British Isles, which formed most of the peat found in blanket bogs and raised bogs. This peat forms an important store of carbon.
There are 34 species of British Sphagna, which all share a few basic features:-
- a single stem ending in a capitulum
- side branches (both hanging and spreading) coming off the stem in groups known as fascicles
- stem and branch leaves made of a network of smaller, green, living cells and larger, clear dead cells which are able to hold a lot of water
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