| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 1,523,406,679 visitors served. |
|
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
sphagnum |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Wikipedia | 0.07 sec. |
|
sphagnum (sfăg`nəm) or peat moss, any species of the large and widely distributed genus Sphagnum, economically the most valuable moss moss, any species of the class Bryopsida, in which the liverworts are sometimes included. Mosses and liverworts together comprise the division Bryophyta , the first green land plants to develop in the process of evolution. ..... Click the link for more information. . Sphagnums, the principal constituent of peat peat, soil material consisting of partially decomposed organic matter; found in swamps and bogs in various parts of the temperate zone. It is formed by the slow decay of successive layers of aquatic and semiaquatic plants, e.g., sedges, reeds, rushes, and mosses. ..... Click the link for more information. , typically grow as a floating mat on freshwater bogs bog, very old lake without inlet or outlet that becomes acid and is gradually overgrown with a characteristic vegetation (see swamp ). Peat moss, or sphagnum , grows around the edge of the open water of a bog ( peat is obtained from old bogs) and out on the surface. ..... Click the link for more information. . Their leaflike appendages have many large cells with circular openings that enable them to absorb liquids readily; hence they are commercially important as a soil structure enhancer (or component of potting soils), packing material, and absorbent dressings and for other uses. Sphagnum is classified in the division Bryophyta Bryophyta (brī`əfī'tə, brī'əfī`tə) ..... Click the link for more information. , class Bryopsida. sphagnum any moss of the genus Sphagnum, of temperate bogs, having leaves capable of holding much water: layers of these mosses decay to form peat How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| ? Mentioned in | ? References in classic literature | |
|---|---|---|
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. |
| Encyclopedia |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Browser extension |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|---|