Sphagnum atlanticum |
Sphagnum portoricense |
|
---|---|---|
Atlantic sphagnum |
puerto rico 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 moderate-sized to often quite robust, ± weak-stemmed, lax; green, bluish green, green and brown to dark golden brown, often speckled in appearance; found submerged in shallow water, stranded along shore lines in loose carpets. |
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 1.1 × 1 mm; rarely hemiisophyllous; hyaline cells non-ornamented, frequently septate. |
Branches | unranked, long and tapering, leaves greatly elongate at distal end. |
clavate and rounded at distal end. |
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. |
broadly ovate, 2.4 × 1.7 mm; hyaline cells on convex surface with numerous round pores along the commissures, comb-lamellae on hyaline cell walls where overlying chlorophyllous cells; chlorophyllous cells broadly triangular in transverse section and well-enclosed on the convex surface. |
Sexual condition | dioicous. |
dioicous. |
Capsule | with pseudostomata. |
|
Spores | 22–29 µm; finely papillose on both surfaces; indistinct triradiate ridge on distal surface; proximal laesura 0.5–0.6 spore radius. |
|
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.; branch stems with hyaline cell comb-lamellae visible on interior cortex wall, cortical cell end walls with conspicuous funnel projections more than 1/2 length of cell, superficial cortical wall aporose. |
Sporophytes | not seen. |
|
Sphagnum atlanticum |
Sphagnum portoricense |
|
Habitat | Forming loose carpets in pools in weakly minerotrophic fens | Stream channels, shallow ponds, coniferous and hardwood swamps and pocosins |
Elevation | low elevations | low to moderate elevations |
Distribution |
CT; DE; MA; MD; ME; NC; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; VA; VT; NB; NF; NS |
AL; FL; LA; NC; NJ; NY; SC; TX; Mexico; South America; West Indies |
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 portoricense is normally very easily distinguished because of its wet growing habit and strongly clavate branches. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 65. | FNA vol. 27, p. 54. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. sullivantianum | |
Name authority | R. E. Andrus: Bryologist 110: 274, figs. (2007) | Hampe: Linnaea 25: 359. (1852) |
Web links |