Sphagnum austinii |
Sphagnum flavicomans |
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Austin's peat-moss, Austin's sphagnum |
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 normally robust, sometimes moderate-sized, stiff and erect, capitulum large and typically hemispherical, usually deep reddish brown, frequently with a faint metallic purplish sheen 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. |
leaves narrowly triangular-lingulate, 1.5–2 mm, apex right-angled to apiculate, border moderately strong and greatly broadened at the base (more than 0.25 width); hyaline cells rhombic, 0–1-septate, normally fibrillose near apex. |
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, long and tapering. |
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, 1.5–2.3 mm, straight, concave, apex strongly involute; margins entire; hyaline cells on convex surface with elliptic pores along the commissures, grading from moderate-sized pores near leaf apex to large pores at leaf base, concave surface with large round pores in proximal marginal regions 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. |
27–32 µm, finely papillose on both surfaces; proximal laesura less than 0.5 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 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches. |
Sphagnum austinii |
Sphagnum flavicomans |
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Phenology | Capsules common, mature mid summer. | Capsules mature early to mid summer. |
Habitat | Ombrotrophic mires and large hummocks in blanket mires | Ombrotrophic to weakly minerotrophic and hygrophytic, forming hummocks on margins of ponds and in poor fens where some shade is available and carpets in wet forests along coast |
Elevation | low to moderate elevations | low to moderate elevations |
Distribution |
AK; MA; ME; NJ; VT; WA; BC; NB; NF; NS; Europe |
CT; DE; MA; MD; ME; NC; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; VA; NB; NF; NS; PE; QC |
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.) |
The sporophytes of Sphagnum flavicomans are uncommon. It is associated with S. cuspidatum, S. papillosum, S. rubellum, S. pulchrum, and S. torreyanum. This species is the ecological replacement for S. fuscum in much of the Atlantic coastal plain; compared to that species, S. flavicomans is substantially more robust and has a larger stem leaf with a more pointed apex. See also discussion under 83. S. subfulvum. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 50. | FNA vol. 27, p. 93. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. cymbifolium subsp. austinii, S. cymbifolium var. austinii, S. imbricatum subsp. austinii | S. acutifolium var. flavicomans, S. plumulosum var. flavicomans, S. subnitens var. flavicomans, S. subnitens var. obscurum, S. subnitens var. viride |
Name authority | Sullivant: in C. F. Austin, Musci Appalach., 2. 1870 (as austini), | (Cardot) Warnstorf: in H. G. A. Engler, Pflanzenr. 51[III]: 79. (1911) |
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