Sphagnum fuscum an indicator of high depositions of sulphur and nitrogen in substrates. "S. fuscum" grows in areas with high sulphur and nitrogen depositions, which is concomitant with the decreased pH of the soil. Sphagnum has also been used historically for medicinal purposes. The moss itself has antimicrobial properties, and was therefore used as an effective filler for wounds to prevent infection. It also retains large amounts of moisture, which was quite useful in keeping the skin around a wound moist to prevent tissue death. Sphagnum fuscum Sphagnum fuscum, the rusty bogmoss or rusty peat moss, is a peat moss found commonly
Portlethen Moss saturated organic layers could actually rupture, spilling large volumes of mud and organic debris to surrounding fields, thus enabling a bed for further spatial expansion of the entire bog. Ultimately the colour of the moss waters became blood red in colour, from the successive organic decay and stagnation. Only in times associated with cattle grazing and significant human presence (probably the late Iron Age), would this process reverse and the bog reduce in size. A wide variety of sphagnum, sedges, rushes and other characteristic bog species inhabit Portlethen Moss. Sometimes insectivorous plants reside in mosses, since the soils are generally