Sphagnum in establishment of new populations in disturbed habitats and on islands. Decayed, dried sphagnum moss has the name of peat or peat moss. This is used as a soil conditioner which increases the soil's capacity to hold water and nutrients by increasing capillary forces and cation exchange capacity. This is often necessary when dealing with very sandy soil, or plants that need increased or steady moisture content to flourish. A distinction is sometimes made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog, and 'sphagnum peat moss' (North American usage) or 'sphagnum peat' (British usage), the
Sphagnum fuscum a short stalk of around 1-2mm, with a brown capsule of about 1-1.5mm. "Sphagnum fuscum" prefers older, drier bogs to inhabit and will formulate hummocks in such conditions. In bogs dominated by black spruce, "S. fuscum" will form extensive ground cover. On average, "S. fuscum" inhabits more acidic soils with pH ranging from 3.6-7.5, and is also able to colonize at high elevations. The moss is circumpolar. "Sphagnum fuscum" faces endangerment across much of the globe. Due to reductions in wetlands and development of these areas, the moss is referred to as “high risk” in Germany, while being on several