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Sphagnum spp.
The peat moss — the single most important group of plants in Alberta's bogs and muskeg. Absorbs 20–30 times its weight in water, acidifies its environment, and over millennia accumulates as peat. Dozens of species occur in Alberta (S. magellanicum, S. fuscum, S. capillifolium, etc.). Stores enormous quantities of carbon — protecting and restoring peatlands is a critical climate action.
Quick Facts
Distribution
Boreal bogs & muskeg province-wide, Zone 1
Light
Full sun to part shade (in bogs)
Bloom Time
Spore plant (non-flowering)
Soil
Saturated acidic peat — creates and maintains its own conditions
Water
Very high; saturated
Growing & Cultivation
Propagation
Fragment transplant (harvest small amounts sustainably — most commercial Sphagnum is harvested in ways that destroy peatlands; prefer local fragmented transplant onto damp acidic substrate).
