Sphagnum atlanticum
Sphagnum brevifolium
Atlantic sphagnum
leaves triangular, large, less than 1.7 mm, mostly appressed to stem, apex weakly apiculate to narrowly obtuse;
hyaline cells efibrillose and seldom to often septate at base and sides.
leaves triangular to lingulate-triangular, apex apiculate, acute and sometimes slightly obtuse, spreading or sometimes appressed;
hyaline cells nonseptate and often fibrillose at leaf apex.
unranked, long and tapering, leaves greatly elongate at distal end.
straight to distinctly curved, leaves unranked to 5-ranked, leaves not greatly elongate at branch distal end.
ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate in aquatic forms, ovate to ovate-lanceolate in emergent forms, greater than 2.5 mm, often falcate-secund, especially in submerged forms, weakly undulate and recurved when dry;
margin entire, hyaline cells on convex surface with 0–1 pores per cell, concave surface with round wall thinnings in the cell apices and angles; chlorophyllous cells narrowly triangular in transverse section and well-enclosed on the concave surface.
ovate to ovate-lanceolate, greater than 1.2 mm, often subsecund, slightly undulate and slightly recurved when dry;
margin entire;
hyaline cells on convex surface with 1 pore per cell in apical end, on concave surface with round wall thinnings in the cell ends and angles; chlorophyllous cells equilateral to isosceles-triangular, well-enclosed on the concave surface.
dioicous.
dioicous.
not seen.
fascicles with 2 spreading and 2 pendent branches.;
branch stem green, cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells.
fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.;
branch stems with cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells, sometimes reddish at proximal end.
not seen.
Sphagnum atlanticum
Sphagnum brevifolium
Sporophytes of Sphagnum atlanticum are rare. The other large North American Atlantic coastal plain species of sect. Cuspidata, S. torreyanum, is typically more yellow, has a more rounded capitulum, and has straight rather than subsecund branch leaves.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Details of the distribution of Sphagnum brevifolium are unclear because of confusion with S. fallax and S. isoviitae. This seems to be a species of poor to medium fens, where it occurs in depressions and floating mats; it does not appear to form extensive fast-growing mats as do S. fallax, S. isoviitae, and S. pacificum. Sphagnum brevifolium is one of five species in the S. recurvum complex with apiculate stem leaves. On the Pacific coast it seemingly co-occurs only with S. pacificum, from which it differs in having branch leaves less sharply recurved and more strongly 5-ranked. In eastern North America it is quite uncommon but can occur with both S. fallax and S. isoviitae of S. recurvum, in the broad sense. Sphagnum fallax has more sharply recurved branch leaves. Sphagnum splendens has a distinct shiny look. The much more common S. isoviitae has a distinctly flatter capitulum, narrower branch leaves and wider stem leaves. In fact, the relatively broad branch leaves of S. brevifolium sometimes can give it the appearance of a slender S. pulchrum, but the latter has much more strongly 5-ranked branch leaves and lacks paired pendent branch buds. See also discussion under 22. S. angustifolium.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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