Home/Species/ Brown Peatmoss

Sphagnum fuscum

(Schimp.) Klinggr.

Brown Peatmoss

G5Secure Found in 16 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.126139

Element CodeNBMUS6Z0D0

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryNonvascular Plant

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomPlantae

PhylumBryophyta

ClassSphagnopsida

OrderSphagnales

FamilySphagnaceae

GenusSphagnum

Other Common Names

sphagnum (EN) Sphaigne brune (FR)

Concept Reference

Anderson, L.E. 1990. A checklist of Sphagnum in North America north of Mexico. The Bryologist 93(4):500-501.

Conservation Status

Rank MethodExpertise without calculation

Review Date2015-05-27

Change Date1990-01-08

Threat Impact Comments

Highly threatened by land-use conversion, habitat fragmentation, forest management practices, and sedimentation (Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project 2002).

Ecology & Habitat

Other Nations (2)

CanadaN5

Province	Rank	Native
Saskatchewan	S5	Yes
Manitoba	S4	Yes
Labrador	S4	Yes
Quebec	S5	Yes
Nova Scotia	S5	Yes
Nunavut	SU	Yes
New Brunswick	S5	Yes
Northwest Territories	S4	Yes
British Columbia	S5	Yes
Prince Edward Island	S4	Yes
Yukon Territory	S5	Yes
Island of Newfoundland	S5	Yes
Alberta	S4	Yes
Ontario	S5	Yes

United StatesNNR

Province	Rank	Native
Rhode Island	SNR	Yes
Connecticut	SNR	Yes
New York	SNR	Yes
Wisconsin	S4	Yes
Pennsylvania	S2	Yes
Virginia	SH	Yes
Maine	SNR	Yes
Colorado	SNR	Yes
Oregon	SNR	Yes
Illinois	SNR	Yes
Vermont	S5	Yes
New Jersey	S2	Yes
Maryland	SNR	Yes
Montana	S2	Yes
Alaska	SNR	Yes
Michigan	SNR	Yes
Idaho	SNR	Yes
Washington	SNR	Yes
Ohio	SNR	Yes
North Carolina	S1	Yes
New Hampshire	SNR	Yes
Minnesota	SNR	Yes
Utah	SNR	Yes
Indiana	SNR	Yes
California	SNR	Yes
Massachusetts	S2	Yes
West Virginia	SNR	Yes
Wyoming	SNR	Yes

Plant Characteristics

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (16)

Alaska (4)

Area	Forest	Acres
Behm Islands	Tongass National Forest	4,777
Middle Kruzof	Tongass National Forest	14,724
North Kruzof	Tongass National Forest	33,146
Port Alexander	Tongass National Forest	120,681

California (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Grouse Lakes	Tahoe National Forest	19,085

Minnesota (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Hegman Lakes	Superior National Forest	675

Oregon (9)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bull Of The Woods	Mt. Hood National Forest	8,843
Gordon Meadows	Willamette National Forest	9,463
Maiden Peak	Deschutes National Forest	26,432
Maiden Peak	Willamette National Forest	9,627
Mt. Thielsen	Winema National Forest	1,153
Roaring River	Mt. Hood National Forest	27,316
Salmon - Huckleberry	Mt. Hood National Forest	17,570
Waldo - Fuji	Willamette National Forest	15,273
Wind Creek	Mt. Hood National Forest	5,438

Washington (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Rugged Ridge	Olympic National Forest	4,358

References (5)

Anderson, L.E. 1990. A checklist of <i>Sphagnum </i>in North America north of Mexico. The Bryologist 93(4):500-501.
Brinda, J.C., and J.J. Atwood. 2026. A Synopsis of <i>Sphagnum</i>. The Bryophyte Nomenclator. Online. Available: https://www.bryonames.org/synonymy?search=Sphagnum (accessed 2026).
Buck, W.R. and B. Goffinet. 2024. A new checklist of the mosses of the continental United States and Canada. The Bryologist 127(4): 484-549.
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2007b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 27. Bryophytes: Mosses, Part 1. Oxford University Press, New York. xxi + 713 pp.
Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project. 2002. A partnership between the U.S. Forest Service-Region 8, Natural Heritage Programs in the Southeast, NatureServe, and independent scientists to develop and review data on 1300+ regionally and locally rare species in the Southern Appalachian and Alabama region. Database (Access 97) provided to the U.S. Forest Service by NatureServe, Durham, North Carolina.