Sphagnum austinii |
Sphagnum fitzgeraldii |
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Austin's peat-moss, Austin's sphagnum |
fitzgerald's 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 and weak-stemmed, flaccid and ± plumose when submerged to (more frequently) sprawling in thin mats; capitulum ± compact and with a strong terminal bud; pale green to greenish white. |
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. |
pale green; superficial cortex of 1–2 layers of thin-walled and well differentiated cells.; stem leaves large, ovate to oblong-ovate, ca. 2 mm, more or less spreading; apex rounded and serrulate; hyaline cells fibrillose and often 1–septate, convex surface generally aporose, concave surface with 1–several round pores per cell in ends and angles. |
Branches | clavate, tapering to short point, tightly imbricate at proximal end to somewhat spreading at distal end in less compact forms. |
unranked to slightly 5-ranked, often short and blunt at distal end. |
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 to oblong-quadrate, 1.2–2.5 mm, not undulate or recurved when dry, strongly toothed across apex and serrulate on margins; hyaline cells with to 4 small round ringed pores at cell ends on convex surface, small round wall thinnings in the cell ends and angles on the concave surface; chlorophyllous cells trapezoidal in transverse section, more broadly exposed on the convex surface. |
Sexual condition | dioicous. |
monoicous. |
Capsule | with scattered pseudostomata. |
|
Spores | 23–28 µm; coarsely granulate on both surfaces; proximal laesura more than 0.50 spore radius. |
38–48 µm; both surfaces covered with fine to moderately coarse papillae; proximal laesura less than 0.4 spore radius. |
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 1–2 spreading and 0–1 pendent branches.; branch stems green, with cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells. |
Sphagnum austinii |
Sphagnum fitzgeraldii |
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Phenology | Capsules common, mature mid summer. | |
Habitat | Ombrotrophic mires and large hummocks in blanket mires | Commonly in prostrate mats on damp sand, often in recently burned or cleared areas, also occasionally floating in ditches |
Elevation | low to moderate elevations | low elevations |
Distribution |
AK; MA; ME; NJ; VT; WA; BC; NB; NF; NS; Europe |
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; VA |
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 of Sphagnum fitzgeraldii are common, being immersed or exserted. This species is found largely on the Atlantic coastal plain. The wide truncate branch leaves easily distinguish it in most situations. Floating plants are not as quickly identified but can be distinguished from other species of sect. Cuspidata by the branch leaves wider than those of similar species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 50. | FNA vol. 27, p. 67. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. cymbifolium subsp. austinii, S. cymbifolium var. austinii, S. imbricatum subsp. austinii | S. mohrianum |
Name authority | Sullivant: in C. F. Austin, Musci Appalach., 2. 1870 (as austini), | Lesquereu×& James: Man. 23. (1884) |
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