The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

lesser cow-horn bog-moss, lesser cow-horn peat moss, water sphagnum

Habit Plants moderate-sized to robust, ± weak-stemmed and compact, capitulum conspicuously large and flat-topped; pinkish brown to red-brown; compact low hummocks and hummock sides. Plants moderate-sized, green in the shade to variegated yellow or orange or both in open habitats; capitulum typically rounded.
Stem(s)

leaves to 1.7 × 1.2 mm; rarely hemiisophyllous;

hyaline cells nonseptate to occasionally septate, comb-lamellae absent.

leaves lingulate to triangular-lingulate, 0.9–1.2 mm, apex rounded, usually 1/3–1/2 of leaf fibrillose;

hyaline cells usually fibrillose in distal 1/3–1/2 of leaf, on convex surface near apex with 1–3 pores per cell, on concave surface near apex 1–4 pores per cell.

Branches

long and tapering.

arched but rarely curved and contorted.

Branch leaves

broadly ovate, to 3 × 2.3 mm;

hyaline cells on proximal half of convex surface with elliptical pores along the commissures, often with ridges running parallel to long leaf axis on hyaline cell surface overlying chlorophyllous cells; chlorophyllous cells elliptical and just enclosed on both surfaces in transverse section;

end walls not thickened.

ovate, 1–1.5 mm, straight to slightly subsecund;

hyaline cells of convex surface with numerous ringed pores along the commissures (12–22 per cell), 0–3 pores per cell on the concave surface.

Sexual condition

dioicous.

Capsule

not seen.

with few pseudostomata.

Spores

unknown.

30–37 µm; finely papillose on both surfaces, indistinct raised Y-shaped sculpture on distal surface;

proximal laesura 0.5 spore radius or less.

Branch

fascicles with 2 spreading and 2 pendent branches.;

branch stems with hyaline cells non-ornamented, no or weak funnel-like projections on the interior end walls, often with large round pores on the superficial wall.

fascicles with 2–3 spreading and 2–3 pendent branches.

Sphagnum alaskense

Sphagnum inundatum

Habitat Poor to medium fens and mineral edges of ombrotrophic mires Weakly minerotrophic habitats such as the margins of ponds, marshes, and mires, in addition to seeps and dripping cliff faces
Elevation low to moderate elevations low to moderate elevations
Distribution
from FNA
AK; WA; BC
from FNA
AK; CT; DE; KY; MA; ME; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; VA; VT; WV; BC; NB; NF; NS; QC; Eurasia
Discussion

Sphagnum alaskense most resembles S. magellanicum and S. centrale in its chorophyll cell cross section. The cross section characteristic is most similar to that of S. centrale but S. alaskense lacks thickened walls. Sphagnum alaskense also apparently does not have any range overlap with S. centrale, the latter being more of a boreal forest species. Sphagnum alaskense occurs in more open and less mineral rich sites near the coast. Sphagnum magellanicum has more well-enclosed chlorophyll cells and usually has some purplish coloration, whereas S. alaskense often has a quite distinctive pinkish brown color which, along with its often large flattened capitula, can give it a distinctive look in the field.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

The sporophytes of Sphagnum inundatum are uncommon. The ovate, concave branch leaves that are occasionally subsecund give this species an appearance similar to that of S. subsecundum, from which it can usually be distinguished by its larger size. Sphagnum lescurii typically has distinctly larger stem leaves and capitulum branches that can be quite turgid and curved in open-grown forms.

The names Sphagnum bavaricum Warnstorf and S. bushii Warnstorf & Cardot have been applied to this taxon.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 50. FNA vol. 27, p. 81.
Parent taxa Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Sphagnum Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Subsecunda
Sibling taxa
S. affine, S. andersonianum, S. angermanicum, S. angustifolium, S. annulatum, S. aongstroemii, S. arcticum, S. atlanticum, S. austinii, S. balticum, S. bartlettianum, S. beothuk, S. bergianum, S. brevifolium, S. capillifolium, S. carolinianum, S. centrale, S. compactum, S. contortum, S. cribrosum, S. cuspidatum, S. cyclophyllum, S. fallax, S. fimbriatum, S. fitzgeraldii, S. flavicomans, S. flexuosum, S. fuscum, S. girgensohnii, S. henryense, S. imbricatum, S. inexspectatum, S. inundatum, S. isoviitae, S. jensenii, S. junghuhnianum, S. kenaiense, S. lenense, S. lescurii, S. lindbergii, S. macrophyllum, S. magellanicum, S. majus, S. mcqueenii, S. mendocinum, S. microcarpum, S. mirum, S. mississippiense, S. molle, S. obtusum, S. oregonense, S. orientale, S. pacificum, S. palustre, S. papillosum, S. perfoliatum, S. perichaetiale, S. platyphyllum, S. portoricense, S. pulchrum, S. pylaesii, S. quinquefarium, S. recurvum, S. riparium, S. rubellum, S. rubiginosum, S. rubroflexuosum, S. russowii, S. sitchense, S. splendens, S. squarrosum, S. steerei, S. strictum, S. subfulvum, S. subnitens, S. subsecundum, S. subtile, S. talbotianum, S. tenellum, S. tenerum, S. teres, S. torreyanum, S. trinitense, S. tundrae, S. viride, S. warnstorfii, S. wilfii, S. wulfianum
S. affine, S. alaskense, S. andersonianum, S. angermanicum, S. angustifolium, S. annulatum, S. aongstroemii, S. arcticum, S. atlanticum, S. austinii, S. balticum, S. bartlettianum, S. beothuk, S. bergianum, S. brevifolium, S. capillifolium, S. carolinianum, S. centrale, S. compactum, S. contortum, S. cribrosum, S. cuspidatum, S. cyclophyllum, S. fallax, S. fimbriatum, S. fitzgeraldii, S. flavicomans, S. flexuosum, S. fuscum, S. girgensohnii, S. henryense, S. imbricatum, S. inexspectatum, S. isoviitae, S. jensenii, S. junghuhnianum, S. kenaiense, S. lenense, S. lescurii, S. lindbergii, S. macrophyllum, S. magellanicum, S. majus, S. mcqueenii, S. mendocinum, S. microcarpum, S. mirum, S. mississippiense, S. molle, S. obtusum, S. oregonense, S. orientale, S. pacificum, S. palustre, S. papillosum, S. perfoliatum, S. perichaetiale, S. platyphyllum, S. portoricense, S. pulchrum, S. pylaesii, S. quinquefarium, S. recurvum, S. riparium, S. rubellum, S. rubiginosum, S. rubroflexuosum, S. russowii, S. sitchense, S. splendens, S. squarrosum, S. steerei, S. strictum, S. subfulvum, S. subnitens, S. subsecundum, S. subtile, S. talbotianum, S. tenellum, S. tenerum, S. teres, S. torreyanum, S. trinitense, S. tundrae, S. viride, S. warnstorfii, S. wilfii, S. wulfianum
Synonyms S. auriculatum var. inundatum, S. novo-foundlandicum, S. subsecundum var. inundatum
Name authority R. E. Andrus & Janssens: Bryologist 106: 435, figs. 1, 3. (2003) Russow: Arch. Naturk. Liv- Ehst- Kurlands, Ser. 2, Biol. Naturk. 10: 390. (1894)
Web links