Sphagnum austinii |
Sphagnum capillifolium |
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Austin's peat-moss, Austin's sphagnum |
common red peat-moss, small red peat moss, sphagnum |
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Habit | Plants moderate-sized to large, usually quite compact; reddish brown and often yellow flecked with red-brown; in dense stands forming large and tall hummocks. | Plants small to moderate-sized, compact to fairly slender, normally stiff and erect; capitulum typically hemispherical; in exposed sites red, mottled red and green, in shaded sites green forms are common; without metallic lustre when dry. |
Stem(s) | leaves 1.2–1.6 × 1 mm; rarely hemiisophyllous; hyaline cells nonseptate or more typically mostly septate, comb-lamellae present on interior wall. |
green to red; superficial cortical cells aporose Stem leaves lingulate-triangular, 1.2–1.6(–1.8) mm, apex ± involute; border entire and broadened to about 0.25 the width of the base; hyaline cells S-shaped, 0–1-septate, usually fibrillose in distal portion of leaf. |
Branches | clavate, tapering to short point, tightly imbricate at proximal end to somewhat spreading at distal end in less compact forms. |
not 5-ranked, terete. |
Branch leaves | ovate-elliptical to elliptical, 1.5–2.1 × 0.8–1.4 mm; hyaline cells on convex surface with numerous moderate-sized round pores along the commissures, comb-lamellae present throughout most of leaf; chlorophyllous cells broadly triangular in transverse section and well-enclosed on the convex surface, end wall not thickened. |
ovate-lanceolate, 1–1.4 mm, imbricate to moderately spreading, concave, straight, strongly involute near apex; hyaline cells on convex surface with elliptic pores along commissures, concave surface with large round pores away from commissures in proximal portions of leaf. |
Sexual condition | dioicous. |
dioicous. |
Capsule | with scattered pseudostomata. |
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Spores | 23–28 µm; coarsely granulate on both surfaces; proximal laesura more than 0.50 spore radius. |
20–28 µm; finely papillose on both surfaces, with distinct raised Y-shaped sculpture on distal surface; proximal laesura 0.5 spore radius or more. |
Branch | fascicles with 2 spreading and 1 pendent branch.; branch stems with cortical cell comb-lamellae visible on interior wall, conspicuous funnel-like projection on interior end walls extending to next cell less than one half its length, pores in superficial wall restricted to leaf bases. |
fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches. |
Sphagnum austinii |
Sphagnum capillifolium |
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Phenology | Capsules common, mature mid summer. | Capsules mature mid summer. |
Habitat | Ombrotrophic mires and large hummocks in blanket mires | Ombrotrophic, broad range of acidic environments, also forming dense mats and carpets over wet, acidic rocks and peat, especially at higher elevations, less frequent in forested fen vegetation |
Elevation | low to moderate elevations | low to high elevations |
Distribution |
AK; MA; ME; NJ; VT; WA; BC; NB; NF; NS; Europe |
AK; CA; CT; ID; IL; IN; KY; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; VA; VT; WA; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Greenland; Europe
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Discussion | Sphagnum austinii is usually easily recognized in the field by its strongly imbricate and clavate branches. It forms very dense and often tall hummocks with a distinct deep golden brown color. In contrast to the view stated by H. A. Crum (1997), this species has an ecology and distribution quite distinct from those of S. affine. Sphagnum affine is a minerotrophic species that does not even occur in the Pacific coast region, where S. austinii is quite prominent. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Sporophytes are fairly common in Sphagnum capillifolium. This species is most common and abundant in ombrotrophic heath vegetation associated with S. angustifolium, S. fallax, S. fuscum, S. magellanicum, S. rubellum, Polytrichum commune, and P. juniperinum. It can be distinguished from most other red species of sect. Acutifolia with which it co-occurs by its lack of 5-ranking in the branches. Sphagnum subtile is a forest and non-hummock forming species that has a distinctly shorter and more triangular-lingulate stem leaf. The stem leaf border on S. subtile is also more strongly bordered. Sphagnum tenerum, which geographically overlaps S. capillifolium only very minimally, has much more turgid branches and a generally more robust look. The stem leaf of S. tenerum is triangular-lingulate as compared to the lingulate- triangular stem leaf of S. capillifolium. See also discussion under 84. S. subnitens and 87. S. tenerum. The names Sphagnum acutifolium Schrader and S. nemoreum Scopoli (doubtful name) have also been used for this taxon. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 50. | FNA vol. 27, p. 91. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. cymbifolium subsp. austinii, S. cymbifolium var. austinii, S. imbricatum subsp. austinii | S. palustre var. capillifolium, S. capillaceum, S. capillifolium var. viride, S. margaritae |
Name authority | Sullivant: in C. F. Austin, Musci Appalach., 2. 1870 (as austini), | (Ehrhart) Hedwig: Fund. Hist. Nat. Musc. Frond. 2: 86. (1782) |
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