Sphagnum atlanticum |
Sphagnum oregonense |
|
---|---|---|
Atlantic sphagnum |
Oregon sphagnum |
|
Habit | Plants robust and weak-stemmed; green, golden brown to dark brown; capitulum often flat-topped and with a visible terminal bud; flaccid and plumose in submerged forms to more compact in emergent or stranded forms. | Plants small, green to light brown; capitulum moderately well defined. |
Stem(s) | 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 lingulate, 1–1.2 mm, apex entire to somewhat erose; hyaline cells non-septate; fibrillose and porose in apical region. |
Branches | unranked, long and tapering, leaves greatly elongate at distal end. |
slender with small spreading leaves. |
Branch leaves | 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-lanceolate, 1.4–1.6 mm, straight to slightly subsecund, weakly undulate, often recurved in capitulum branches; hyaline cells on convex surface with up to 5 small round faint pores per cell in the basal portion of the cell and free from the cell margins, concave surface aporose. |
Sexual condition | dioicous. |
unknown. |
Capsule | not seen. |
|
Spores | not seen. |
|
Branch | fascicles with 2 spreading and 2 pendent branches.; branch stem green, cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells. |
fascicles with 2 spreading and 2 pendent branches. |
Sporophytes | not seen. |
|
Sphagnum atlanticum |
Sphagnum oregonense |
|
Habitat | Forming loose carpets in pools in weakly minerotrophic fens | Fens |
Elevation | low elevations | high elevations |
Distribution |
CT; DE; MA; MD; ME; NC; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; VA; VT; NB; NF; NS |
OR |
Discussion | 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.) |
Sphagnum oregonense is currently known only from the type locality. Sporophytes of it are unknown. It is associated with other minerotrophic bryophytes such as Meesia triquetra, Calliergon cordifolium, and Campylium polygamum. This is a curious species that has an obvious close relationship with sect. Cuspidata. When wet it is similar in appearance to S. subsecundum but upon drying the sightly undulate and recurved branch leaves give it the charactereistic appearance of this section. The branch leave porosity is also more similar to that of species in sect. Cuspidata than that found in sect. Subsecunda. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 65. | FNA vol. 27, p. 82. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | R. E. Andrus: Bryologist 110: 274, figs. (2007) | Andrus: Bryologist 110: 123, figs. 1–4. (2007) |
Web links |