: any of an order (Sphagnales, containing a single genus Sphagnum) of atypical mosses that grow only in wet acid areas where their remains become compacted with other plant debris to form peat
2
: a mass of sphagnum plants
Illustration of sphagnum
sphagnum 1
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebSoak dried sphagnum or sheet moss in water for a few seconds and squeeze out any excess liquid. Jennifer Nalewicki, Popular Mechanics, 16 Nov. 2020 The sphagnum bogs found in southern Michigan are also a favorite for mosquitoes that spread EEE.NBC News, 18 Sep. 2019 Nolan's solution included lining the bottom of the bed with 6 inches of water-absorbent sphagnum moss and a layer of hardware cloth. Kendra Parks, NOLA.com, 26 Apr. 2018 Mines can use sphagnum to filter out toxins from pits where by-products are collected.The Economist, 5 Apr. 2018 Botany cannot go farther than tell me the names of the shrubs which grow there,—the high-blueberry, panicled andromeda, lambkill, azalea, and rhodora,—all standing in the quaking sphagnum. Henry David Thoreau, The Atlantic, 6 Oct. 2017 Bogs are generally more open, characterized by an abundance of sphagnum, a superabsorbent moss, and the accretion of peat. Henry Wismayer, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2016 Also known as sphagnum, peat moss thrives in cold, damp climates like those of the British Isles and northern Germany. Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian, 28 Apr. 2017 And as botanist P.G. Ayres writes, sphagnum was just as popular on the other side of the battle lines. Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian, 28 Apr. 2017 See More
Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Latin sphagnos, a moss, from Greek