Peat moss (or sphagnum), reindeer moss, club moss, and Spanish moss are not related.

PEAT MOSS is decayed vegetation found in bogs. It is formed by slow decay of plants, sedges, reeds, the trunks of trees and rushes. It is an early stage in the formation of coal, and is commonly used as a mulch. Peat moss is found mainly on the Scottish border on extensive beds called peat mosses, occupying the surface of the soil or covered to the depth of a few feet with sand and gravel. It is the common fuel of large districts of Wales, Ireland and Scotland, and some parts of England where coal is scarce. From it are made lint and antiseptic dressing for wounds. Under pressure it becomes so hard that machinery bearings can be made of it. It has been used to line refriger- ators and cold storage rooms, and to cover steam pipes. In its natural state it is used generally as a mulch for plants in shipping and also in hothouses and gardens.

CLUB MOSS is any plant of the family Lycopodium, or any plant which comprises creeping or moss-like structure, such as the clavatum, the common club moss, and the ground pine, both used as Christmas decorations. Club moss is also a fine yellowish powder consisting of the spores of certain species of this genus, used in dusting on sores and on pills to prevent them from sticking. It is highly inflam- mable, and is used in making fireworks and in producing stage lighting.