Sphagnum angustifolium
Sphagnum microcarpum
fine bogmoss, poor-fen 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 isophyllous, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 2.2–2.8 mm;
apex rounded;
hyaline cells nonseptate, convex surface with 6–12 pores per cell along commissures, concave surface aporose.
straight to slightly curved, usually 5-ranked;
leaves not much longer at distal end than proximal end.
straight and short.
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, 1.3–1.7 mm;
hyaline cells on convex surface with 8–18 elliptic pores more than 8 µm, concave surface aporose.
dioicous.
unknown.
not seen.
21–25 µm; coarsely papillose on proximal and distal surfaces;
proximal laesura more than 0.5 spore radius.
not seen.
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 nearly all with 2 spreading branch only.
Sphagnum angustifolium
Sphagnum microcarpum
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.)
Sporophytes are rare in Sphagnum microcarpum, which grows over bare soil in a manner similar to that of S. cyclophyllum and S. fitzgeraldii. It is now recognized as separate from S. cyclophyllum, with which it has been treated as synonymous in the past. Besides the microscopic differences, S. microcarpum has a compact upright growth form quite unlike that of typical S. cyclophyllum. Sphagnum microcarpum is nearly always branched whereas S. cyclophyllum is nearly always simplex.
The name Sphagnum mobilense Warnstorf also has been applied to this taxon.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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