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
Moss in cities. Examples would be "Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus", a garden weed in Vancouver and Seattle areas; "Bryum argenteum", the cosmopolitan sidewalk moss, and "Ceratodon purpureus", red roof moss, another cosmopolitan species. A few species are wholly aquatic, such as "Fontinalis antipyretica", common water moss; and others such as "Sphagnum" inhabit bogs, marshes and very slow-moving waterways. Such aquatic or semi-aquatic mosses can greatly exceed the normal range of lengths seen in terrestrial mosses. Individual plants or more long are common in "Sphagnum" species for example. Wherever they occur, mosses require liquid water for at least part of the year to complete