Red Bog-moss

Red Bog-moss, Sphagnum capillifolium, also called northern peat moss or small red peat moss, forms tight, carpet-like mounds of brownish-green to pinkish-red color, with branches that curve outward in a tress-like sweep and leaves that taper to a blunt point without a midrib. Like other peat mosses it can hold large amounts of water within dead, empty hyaline cells, reportedly up to twenty times its own weight, an ability well suited to the boggy habitats around rivers and lakes where it grows. It is native to Canada, the northern United States, Greenland, and Europe.