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fine bogmoss, poor-fen peat-moss, sphagnum

flat-leaf peat-moss, 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 small to moderate-sized, unbranched or sparsely branched; green, golden brown to brown, capitulum small with a large and conspicuous terminal bud.
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 broadly ovate, 1.2–2.2 mm; straight;

apex rounded;

hyaline cells non-septate, convex surface with numerous small pores (less than or equal to 1/6 cell diameter) forming a continuous row along the commissures, concave surface aporose or with a few scattered pores along the commissures and cell ends.

Branches

straight to slightly curved, usually 5-ranked;

leaves not much longer at distal end than proximal end.

short and blunt, sometimes lacking completely and plants simplex.

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.

broadly ovate, 1.4–2.5(–3) mm; straight;

apex rounded;

hyaline cells as in stem leaf.

Sexual condition

dioicous.

dioicous.

Capsule

exserted, with few pseudostomata.

Spores

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

proximal laesura more than 0.5 spore radius.

23–35 µm;

papillose on both surfaces, with indistinct Y-mark sculpture on distal surface;

proximal laesura 0.5 spore radius or less.

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 of 1–3 branches, 1–2 of these spreading, branches usually not numerous.

Sphagnum angustifolium

Sphagnum platyphyllum

Phenology Capsules mature late spring to early summer.
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 Typically growing in minerotrophic habitats such as shores of lakes, ponds, streams, flarks of string mires, margins of open fens, especially seasonally flooded sites
Elevation low to high elevations low to high 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
AK; AZ; CA; CO; CT; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; RI; VT; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; ON; QC; YT; South America; Greenland; Eurasia
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.)

Sporophytes are uncommon in Sphagnum platyphyllum, which can be quite variable in size and the development of branch fascicles, with some forms even being simplex while other forms may have up to three branches per fascicle. The species can usually be recognized by the large stem leaves that are spreading and easily visible because of the scarcity of hanging branches. It should also be noted that in this species and S. contortum the 2–3-layered stem cortex is not an entirely consistent trait, as plants quite typical in all other respects are occasionally found with the cortex only 1-layered, at least in part.

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

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 64. FNA vol. 27, p. 83.
Parent taxa Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Cuspidata Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Subsecunda
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. 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. 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. laricinum var. platyphyllum, S. contortum var. platyphyllum, S. subsecundum var. platyphyllum
Name authority (Warnstorf) C. E. O. Jensen: Bih. Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl. 16(9): 46. (1891) (Lindberg) Warnstorf: Flora 67: 481. (1884)
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