Economic importance

Bryophytes, especially Sphagnum, have real economic weight despite their small size. Large amounts of dead Sphagnum thallus accumulate, compress and harden into peat, which is burned as fuel on a commercial scale in parts of northern Europe (e.g. the Netherlands); peat also yields nitrates, a brown dye and tanning materials. Because of its water-holding capacity, Sphagnum (and peat generally) is used in horticulture as packing material. Marchantia polymorpha has traditionally been used to treat pulmonary tuberculosis, and Sphagnum, Bryum and Polytrichum have all been used as food. More broadly, bryophytes play an important ecological role in soil formation (through succession on bare rock/soil) and in soil conservation. …