Horton Plains montane peat biome: Sphagnum moss water retention and cloud hydrology?

The high-altitude peat bogs and wet patana hollows of Horton Plains (2,100m elevation) function as a critical hydrological sponge for Sri Lanka. Sphagnum moss cushions carpeting waterlogged hollows possess specialized anatomical leaf morphology: small living photosynthetic chlorophyllose cells surround massive, dead, hollow hyaline cells lined with spiral reinforcing fibrils and microscopic pores. These hyaline cells draw water through capillary action, retaining up to twenty times their dry mass in moisture stripped from passing montane cloud mist. This stored water releases steadily into the headwaters of the Mahaweli, Kelani, and Walawe rivers.