Question

Which among the following is called peat moss?
(a)Funaria
(b)Sphagnum
(c)Pellia
(d)Porella

Answer 1

Hint: Peat moss is an aquatic moss and is known as bog moss or cotton moss. In possessing some features common to liverworts, some characteristics common to hornworts, and some features common to mosses, the genus is strikingly peculiar.

Complete answer:
Peat moss, also known as bog moss or sphagnum moss, is one of more than 150-300 species of plants in the Bryophyta division of the Sphagnidae subclass, consisting of the Sphagnaceae family, which includes one genus, Sphagnum.
For transporting plants to distant locations, peat moss is used since it's hygroscopic.
Sphagnum is a genus of approximately 380 recognized moss species, generally referred to as "peat moss" but they are distinct as there is a more acidic pH level of peat moss. Sphagnum accumulations can store water, as both living and dead plants can retain large amounts of water within their cells; depending on the species, plants can hold sixteen to twenty-six times more water as their dry weight. In drier environments, the empty cells help hold water.

Additional Information: By taking up cations, such as calcium and magnesium, and releasing hydrogen ions, peat moss can acidify its surroundings.
Peat moss is used to dispose of the septic tanks' clarified liquid production (effluent) in places that lack the proper requirements for ordinary means of disposal. It is also used in swimming pool sanitation as an ecologically safe alternative to chlorine. The moss prevents microbe development and decreases the need for chlorine in swimming pools.

So, the correct answer is, ‘Sphagnum’.

Note: Sphagnum species taxonomy remains contentious, with various botanists acknowledging very different species numbers. Up to 30 cm (about 12 inches) tall, pale green to deep red plants form dense clumps around wetlands, in swamps and bogs, on moist, acidic cliffs, and from tropical to subpolar regions on lakeshores. Many intertwined, enlarged dead cells are found in the veinless leaves and stem cortex, with external openings through which water can enter; plants retain water up to 20 times their weight.