Sphagnum angustifolium
Sphagnum fuscum
fine bogmoss, poor-fen peat-moss, sphagnum
common brown peat-moss, rusty bogmoss, rusty peat moss, sphagnum
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 lingulate, 0.8–1.3 mm;
apex broadly rounded and entire to lacerate, sometimes slightly mucronate or slightly denticulate;
hyaline cells rhombic, 0–1(–2)-septate, usually efibrillose.
straight to slightly curved, usually 5-ranked;
leaves not much longer at distal end than proximal end.
long and slender to short and compact, unranked to 5-ranked.
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, 1.1–1.3 mm, straight, concave, apex strongly involute;
margins entire, hyaline cells on convex surface with round to elliptic pores along the commissures, grading from small pores near the leaf apex to large pores near the base, concave surface with large round pores in proximal marginal regions of leaf.
dioicous.
dioicous.
21–25 µm; coarsely papillose on proximal and distal surfaces;
proximal laesura more than 0.5 spore radius.
17–30 µm, finely papillose on proximal surface and pusticulate on distal surface;
proximal laesura less than 0.5 spore radius.
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 1–2 pendent branches.
Sphagnum angustifolium
Sphagnum fuscum
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 fuscum is common in ombrotrophic mires and alpine mountain summits where it may form small to large hummocks to 1 m in height, more infrequently in weakly minerotrophic mires and richer fens.
Sporophytes are common in Sphagnum fuscum, which is associated with S. angustifolium, S. fallax, S. magellanicum, S. papillosum, and more infrequently with S. teres, and S. warnstorfii in richer sites. Very widespread but generally easily recognized, it is the only small brown hummock-forming species of sect. Acutifolia over most of its range. There are some significant variations in this species. The stem leaves can vary from having a rounded, entire apex to having a somewhat flat and lacerate apex. The branches also vary from being unranked and slender to 5-ranked and blunt. The color also can vary from a light to a dark brown. There does not seem, however, to be any consistent pattern to these variations and thus no taxonomic recognition has been given to them. See also discussion under 73. S. flavicomans.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
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WildflowerSearch
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- Local floras: BC
- Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, IL Wildflowers, MD Biodiversity, MI Flora, MN Wildflowers, PNW Herbaria
- WildflowerSearch
- iNaturalist (observations)
- USDA Plants Database
- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
