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fine bogmoss, poor-fen peat-moss, sphagnum

flat-top bogmoss, sphagnum

Habit Plants small and often slender and soft, lax to compact, moderately stiff-stemmed; green to pale yellow to golden brown to brown; capitulum strongly convex in drier grown forms to strongly 5-radiate and flat in wetter growing forms. Plants moderate-sized, fairly stiff-stemmed; green, brownish green, pale yellow, golden yellow, yellow and brown; capitulum hemispherical and not 5-radiate to somewhat 5-radiate in shade-grown or wet-grown forms.
Stem(s)

leaves equilateral to isosceles-triangular, small, less than 0.8 mm, mostly appressed to stem, apex acute to obtuse, hyaline cells efibrillose and nonseptate.

leaves triangular to lingulate-triangular, 0.8–1.2 mm, mostly appressed to the stem, apex acute to apiculate, hyaline cells mostly efibrillose and nonseptate.

Branches

straight to slightly curved, usually 5-ranked;

leaves not much longer at distal end than proximal end.

straight, mostly unranked, but can be 5-ranked in wet-growing forms, leaves little elongated at distal branch ends.

Branch leaves

narrowly ovate-lanceolate, 0.8–1 mm, straight, moderately undulate and recurved in larger and/or wetter grown forms, not undulate and slightly recurved in compact forms from drier sites;

margins entire;

hyaline cells on convex surface with 1(2–3) pore per cell at apical end of cell, on concave surface with round wall thinnings in cell ends and angles; chlorophyllous cells triangular in transverse section and just enclosed on concave surface.

ovate-lanceolate, greater than 1.2 mm, straight, undulate and sharply recurved when dry, margins entire;

hyaline cells on convex surface with usually 1 round pore per cell at apical end, on concave side with round wall thinnings in the cell ends and angles; chlorophyllous cells triangular and just reaching or slightly enclosed within the concave surface.

Sexual condition

dioicous.

dioicous.

Spores

21–25 µm; coarsely papillose on proximal and distal surfaces;

proximal laesura more than 0.5 spore radius.

25–31 µm;

proximal surface finely papillose, distal surface pusticulate with bifurcated Y-mark sculpture;

proximal laesura less than 0.5 spore radius.

Branch

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

branch stems with cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells, often pinkish red at proximal end.

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

branch stems green but proximal end sometimes red, with cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells.

Sphagnum angustifolium

Sphagnum fallax

Habitat Wide range of habitats, from ombrotrophic to rich fens, open mires, sedge fens and muskeg, as carpets, floating mats, low hummocks and hummock sides Widespread in poor fen habitats, often as a pioneer species in extensive mats, occasionally in ombrotrophic mires at hummock bases
Elevation low to high elevations low to moderate elevations
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; CO; ID; IL; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; QC; SK; YT; Greenland; Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CT; DE; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; TN; VA; VT; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; Europe
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

The sporophytes of Sphagnum angustifolium are somewhat common. This species is distinguished from similar ones in sect. Cuspidata by the small, triangular, obtuse and appressed stem leaves. It also often has a pink stem, as opposed to the reddish branch bases seen in some other species of the section. Sphagnum balticum has stem leaves that are more lingulate-triangular as well as spreading from the stem. Sphagnum angustifolium belongs to a subgroup within sect. Cuspidata usually referred to as S. recurvum, in the broad sense, a group of mostly carpet-forming species that differ from other members of the section in having pairs of pendent branch buds visible between the capitulum rays. The group also includes S. brevifolium, S. fallax, S. flexuosum, S. pacificum, S. recurvum, S. rubroflexuosum, and S. splendens.

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

Sphagnum fallax can be distinguished from the closely related S. isoviitae by its sharply recurved branch leaves, as opposed to the leaves of the latter only slightly reflexed at their tips. See also discussion under 26. S. brevifolium and 46. S. splendens.

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

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 64. FNA vol. 27, p. 67.
Parent taxa Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Cuspidata Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Cuspidata
Sibling taxa
S. affine, S. alaskense, S. andersonianum, S. angermanicum, 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. 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
Synonyms S. recurvum var. angustifolium, S. amblyphyllum var. parvifolium, S. flexuosum var. tenue, S. parvifolium, S. recurvum var. parvifolium, S. recurvum var. tenue S. cuspidatum var. fallax, S. apiculatum, S. flexuosum var. fallax, S. mucronatum, S. recurvum var. brevifolium, S. recurvum var. fallax, S. recurvum subsp. mucronatum
Name authority (Warnstorf) C. E. O. Jensen: Bih. Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl. 16(9): 46. (1891) (H. Klinggräff) H. Klinggräff: Vers. Topogr. Fl. Westpreuss., 128. (1880)
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