sphagnum

noun

sphag·​num ˈsfag-nəm 

variants or sphagnum moss

1

plural sphagnums or sphagnum mosses also sphagnum : any of a genus (Sphagnum of the order Sphagnales) of mosses that grow in wet acidic areas (such as bogs or swamps) where their remains become compacted with other plant debris to form peat (see peat entry 1 sense 1a)

Peatlands develop where the ground is water-soaked throughout the growing season, causing the sphagnum to grow faster than its dead remains can decompose.

—Robert Mohlenbrock

We pitched our tents on sphagnum moss under towering western hemlocks …

—Ted Williams

—often used before another noun

sphagnum peat moss

Eventually the sphagnum mat becomes strong enough to support evergreens.

—Deborah Cramer

2

: a mass of sphagnum plants especially when dried

… add a thin layer of coarse sphagnum moss to stop any growing mix from trickling down into the drainage area.

—John Hopkins

Illustration of sphagnum

• sphagnum 1

Examples of sphagnum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The research team turned to sphagnum peat bogs in the northeastern U.S., environments rich with competitive microbial species. —Tom Howarth, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024

Wash the pulp from the seeds, and plant them in moist cactus soil mix or a mixture of sphagnum peat moss and perlite. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2024

The soil in those pots may be anything from potting mix, which is good, to heavy soil dug up from the back of the greenhouse or even pure sphagnum moss. —Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2024

Made with a blend of sphagnum peat moss, humus, and perlite, this potting mix helps ensure good drainage to keep roots healthy. —Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 May 2024

Amend soil as necessary with materials like compost, manure, wood clippings, and sphagnum peat moss. —Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024

It's made up of sphagnum peat moss, along with vermiculite and perlite. —Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 17 Feb. 2024

The first plants to colonize land hundreds of millions of years ago, they’ve been used by humans for millenniums for everything from insulation and bedding to battlefield bandages (sphagnum moss has antiseptic properties). —Jenny Comita, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2023

Cut your own plants right below the node, package them up in a moisture-retaining material like some sphagnum moss or a wet paper towel, wrap them up in cling wrap, add a little bow, and voila—a bouquet of cuttings ready to propagate into more leafy little ones. —Helen Bradshaw, Popular Science, 9 Nov. 2023

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin sphagnos, a moss, from Greek

First Known Use

1741, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sphagnum

noun

sphag·​num ˈsfag-nəm 

1

: any of a large genus of mosses that usually grow in wet areas (as bogs) and become compacted with other plant matter to form peat

2

: a mass of sphagnum plants

Medical Definition

sphagnum

noun

sphag·​num ˈsfag-nəm 

variants or sphagnum moss

1

: any of a genus (Sphagnum of the order Sphagnales) of mosses that grow in wet acidic areas where their remains become compacted with other plant debris to form peat

2

: a mass of dehydrated sphagnum plants used as a surgical dressing especially during World War I