Main Entry:

sphag·num

Pronunciation:

\ˈsfag-nəm\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

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

Date:

1741

1 : any of an order (Sphagnales, containing a single genus Sphagnum) of atypical mosses that grow only in wet acid areas where their remains become compacted with other plant debris to form peat 2 : a mass of sphagnum plants

[sphagnum illustration]