Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of various mosses of the genus Sphagnum of wet acidic areas, having long fibrous leafy stems, the decomposed remains of which form a type of peat.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A genus of mosses, the peat- or bog-mosses, the only representative of the order Sphagnaceæ. For characters, see
Sphagnaceæ . - noun A mass or quantity of moss of this genus: often used attributively; as, sphagnum moss; a sphagnum. bog.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Bot.) A genus of mosses having white leaves slightly tinged with red or green and found growing in marshy places; bog moss; peat moss.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Any of various widely distributed
mosses , of thegenus Sphagnum , which slowlydecompose to formpeat .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun any of various pale or ashy mosses of the genus Sphagnum whose decomposed remains form peat
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Potting mixes often contain sphagnum peat moss from bogs in Canada or Ireland.
Inflation Gets Right Down to the Real Nitty-Gritty « Isegoria 2008
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It is very surprising to find certain relict habitats related to the northern European freshwater ecosystems, such as sphagnum peat bogs, and birch (Betula pendula) copses.
Southwest Iberian Mediterranean sclerophyllous and mixed forests 2008
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I have an extremely vague recollection of Jerry in some interview or other mentioning "The Nursery Frieze," the Gorey work consisting of a long series of animals of indeterminate species, each uttering a single, odd word, like "sphagnum" ... "orrery" ... deadsongs. vue.168
The WELL: Ripple Robert Hunter 2004
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Some porous material such as sphagnum moss or excelsior (as here) is put on the open bottom and the flat watered by allowing it to stand in a sink or tub for
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Azaleas require highly acidic soil - such as sphagnum peat moss amended with gypsum and perhaps limestone.
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They are used commercially to treat seedlings before setting them in the field to reduce shock.] (6) Use no medium, such as sphagnum moss, for the roots because it is unnecessary and causes a lot of fuss with the plant inspectors.
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But I certainly wasn't going to complain, especially when he retreated to the "prop range," the Botanic Garden greenhouse where hundreds of species were growing—the BBG boasts 1,600 species—to retrieve some Chilean sphagnum moss.
Where Expertise Blooms Ralph Gardner Jr. 2012
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Materials needed to assemble your terrarium include gravel for drainage; sphagnum moss to keep the soil from sifting into the drainage area; potting mix without fertilizer; and accessories like gravel, miniature animals — whatever items that add a touch of whimsy to your terrarium.
Terrarium Day at Sugar Creek « Sugar Creek Gardens’ Blog 2010
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A fern-grass-sedge pampa covers the summit areas of the larger islands where moisture is retained in temporary pools and sphagnum moss.
Galápagos National Park & Galápagos Marine Resources Reserve, Ecuador 2009
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From pillows of sphagnum that over millennia have built up this extraordinary place, carmine glitter of round-leaved sundew attracts the eye, slowly digesting its captured insect-life.
yarb commented on the word sphagnum
A supremely squelchy word - just like the sound it makes when you plant a boot in it.
October 25, 2007
sionnach commented on the word sphagnum
Isn't sphagnum that word that has something to do with frog-tossing? Guess not.
October 25, 2007
reesetee commented on the word sphagnum
Squelchy. What a great word.
October 25, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word sphagnum
Agreed. I like sphagnum as well, but it does sound like some bizarre, but named, curve in the human intestine.
October 25, 2007