Sphagnum magellanicum is one of the most common species of mosses in Chile. It has a distinctive reddish colour which makes it easy to recognise among other sphagnum species in Chile. Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss (North American usage) or sphagnum peat (British usage) on the other, the latter being the decaying matter underneath.