What is Spahgnum Moss?

The Spahgnum are those mosses that are what cause the appearance of peat and peat, on the other hand, is an organic soil that is produced because the tissues of this kind of moss accumulate, as well as the tissue of other plants that grow on top of the remains of third ones that are decomposed.

In this way, they are able to form a certain amount of tissue layers that are of vegetables found deadwhich accumulate over the years, forming this kind of material that we generally know by the name of peat and that has the capacity to measure a few meters in thickness.

Spahgnum morphology

The morphology that a small strand of Spahgnum can have, is generally characterized by having stems with branches that are arranged in fascicles and at the same time by the cells that make up the leaves, which are usually of two completely different types, some that are small and of a green color that has the ability to photosynthesize and others that are large, at the same time transparent that they have the ability to accumulate water.

Generallythe leaves on the branches and those on the stems are completely different and both are of great importance so that we can distinguish between each of the different species that belong to this genus.

In what is the distal portion of the plants, the branches are arranged in a fairly compact way capable of forming what is a head or called chapter. From each of these chapters emerge what are the sporophyteswhich we know as the part of the plant that has the ability to produce spores, which are disseminated through the wind upon reaching the maturity stage.

Characteristics of the Spahgnum moss

One of the main characteristics of the Spahgnum moss is the great capacity it has to retain water and this is due to what is thanks to the presence of the pores in the cells that are hyaline that are located in what are the caulidia and filidia, which have the ability to absorb water very quickly through their pores, measuring about 5 or 20 millimeters in diameter.

These cells can reach hold a large amount of water and they generally cover a volume that is 80% of the volume of the moss.

The fiber of the moss Spahgnum known by the name of pompom, therefore generally used in floriculturebeing of great help in what is the natural prolongation of the life of the flowers and in agriculture it is used as a supply of oxygen and humidity, thus improving the quality of the soils, especially in those areas where the climate is quite dry or are prone to becoming sterile.

In their natural state, the populations of the Spahgnum moss are capable of trapping a large amount of water and this is due to the particular morphology of its leavessince these have cells capable of photosynthesis and that can alternate with cells that are empty and at the same time porous, which are those that have the ability to retain water.