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sphagnum Definition

sphag·num (sfagnəm)

noun

  1. any of a genus (Sphagnum) of highly absorbent, spongelike, grayish peat mosses found in bogs
  2. a mass of such peat mosses, used to improve soil, to pack and pot plants, etc.

Etymology: ModL < Gr sphagnos, kind of moss

sphagnum Related Forms
sphag·nous (-nəs) adjective
sphagnum Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • moss: Next, add a thin cover of sphagnum moss, which will prevent the soil from sifting down to the drainage layer.
  • bog: Across the road from the highest point of the mountain, a narrow footpath leads down into a small sphagnum moss bog.
  • peat: Sphagnum moss peat ( enough to fill the other half ).
  • imbricatum: The bog surface is permanently wet and supports a dense and diverse cover of Sphagnum bog-mosses including the rare hummock forming moss Sphagnum imbricatum.
  • fuscum: Sphagnum fuscum hummocks are present, and Calluna vulgaris and Erica tetralix are common.
  • specie: Lee J.A. , Parsons A.N. and Baxter R. ( 1993 ): Sphagnum species and polluted environments, past and future.

Noun used with modifier

  • bog-mosses: These bogs are generally rich in the bog-mosses Sphagnum capillifolium and S. papillosum.
  • moss: The bog surface is permanently wet and supports a dense and diverse cover of Sphagnum bog-mosses including the rare hummock forming moss Sphagnum imbricatum.

Browse dictionary entries near sphagnum

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