Sphagnum is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, also bog moss and quacker moss. Accumulations of Sphagnum can store water, since both living and dead plants can hold large quantities of water inside their cells; plants may hold 16 to 26 times as much water as their dry weight, depending on the species. The empty cells help retain water in drier conditions.
Ambuchanania leucobryoides is the only species in the monotypic genus Ambuchanania. It is a Sphagnum-like moss endemic to Tasmania. Originally described as a species of Sphagnum, it is now a separate genus named after the original collector Alex M. Buchanan, (b.1944) an Australian botanist from the Tasmanian Herbarium in Hobart,. A. leucobryoides differs from the family Sphagnaceae in having elongate antheridia. It is entirely restricted to south-west Tasmania's Wilderness World Heritage Area where it occurs on white Precambrian quartzitic sand deposited by alluvial flows, and on margins of buttongrass sedge land. Species most commonly found in association with A. leucobryoides include: Leptocarpus tenax, Chordifex hookeri, and Actinotus suffocatus. Currently, A. leucobryoides is listed as rare under the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act 1995.
The flora of Scotland is an assemblage of native plant species including over 1,600 vascular plants, more than 1,500 lichens and nearly 1,000 bryophytes. The total number of vascular species is low by world standards but lichens and bryophytes are abundant and the latter form a population of global importance. Various populations of rare fern exist, although the impact of 19th-century collectors threatened the existence of several species. The flora is generally typical of the north-west European part of the Palearctic realm and prominent features of the Scottish flora include boreal Caledonian forest, heather moorland and coastal machair. In addition to the native species of vascular plants there are numerous non-native introductions, now believed to make up some 43% of the species in the country.
The white-faced darter or small whiteface is a dragonfly belonging to the genus Leucorrhinia in the family Libellulidae, characterised by red and black markings and a distinctive white patch on the head. It is found in wetlands and peat bogs from northern Europe eastwards to Siberia, and the adults are active from around April till September, which is known as the "flight period". It breeds in acidic bodies of water, laying its eggs in clumps of sphagnum moss that provide a safe habitat for larval development. The larvae are particularly vulnerable to predation by fish, and so are usually found in lakes where fish are not present. L. dubia is listed as a species of least concern (LC) by the IUCN Red List, however, it is potentially threatened by habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change.
Albert LeRoy Andrews (1878–1961) was a professor of Germanic philology and an avocational bryologist, known as "one of the world’s foremost bryologists and the American authority on Sphagnaceae." From 1922 to 1923 he was the president of the Sullivant Moss Society, renamed in 1970 the American Bryological and Lichenological Society.
Sphagnum centrale is a species of moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae.
Sphagnum compactum, the compact bogmoss, is a species of moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae.
Sphagnum inundatum is a species of moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae.
Sphagnum molle is a species of moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae.
Sphagnum platyphyllum, the flat-leaved bogmoss, is a species of moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae.
Sphagnum pulchrum is a species of moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae.
Sphagnum quinquefarium is a species of moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae.
Sphagnum subfulvum is a species of moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae.
Sphagnum subnitens is a species of moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae.
Sphagnum wulfianum is a species of moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae.
Sphagnum tenellum is a species of moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae.
Sphagnum rubellum, the red peat moss, is a widespread species of moss in the family Sphagnaceae, native to the cool temperate parts of North America and Eurasia. It is slower growing than its close relative Sphagnum capillifolium.
Sphagnum imbricatum is a species of moss in the family Sphagnaceae, native to cool temperate parts of Europe and eastern North America, and found sporadically elsewhere. In the past it was used as a substitute for cotton in surgical dressings.
Sphagnum warnstorfii is a species of moss belonging to the family Sphagnaceae. It is widely distributed in the north hemisphere.
Sphagnum austinii, known as Austin's sphagnum, is a species of moss in the family Sphagnaceae. The species can be found on the west coast of Alaska and British Columbia as well as the southeastern coasts of Canada. The species is also found in Northern Europe.
