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Bartlett's sphagnum

sphagnum

Habit Plants ± moderate-sized, capitula flat-topped and stellate to some-what hemispherical; variegated pale yellowish and red, sometimes partially green or completely red; without metallic lustre when dry. Plants compact, short-branched and small; strongly reddish to golden brown, glossy when dry; flat-topped capitulum with moderately differentiated terminal bud.
Stem(s)

leaves narrowly lingulate-triangular, 1.2–1.8 mm, apex acute to apiculate, border not developed much along margins and narrow at base (occupying less than 0.25 the width of the base);

hyaline cells rhombic, mostly 0–1-septate.

leaves lingulate,small, equal to or less than 0.8 mm, appressed to stem;

apex with strong lacerate split in the middle;

hyaline cells efibrillose, aporose, and nonseptate.

Branches

usually strongly 5-ranked.

strongly 5-ranked, short and blunt, not much elongated at distal end.

Branch leaves

narrowly ovate-lanceolate, 1.2–1.5 mm, concave, straight, apex strongly involute, border entire, hyaline cells on convex surface with 3–9 faintly ringed rounded-elliptic pores along the commissures often quite small apically, largely aporose on concave surface.

ovate; usually less than 1.5 mm;

stiff and slightly reflexed, straight to slightly subsecund;

margins entire;

hyaline cells moderately long and narrow (6–8:1), convex surface with one small round pore per cell at apex and numerous pseudopores on the margin, concave surface with large round wall thinnings in the cell angles and ends; chlorophyllous cells triangular in transverse section, with apex reaching concave surface.

Sexual condition

dioicous.

unknown.

Spores

19–28 µm; coarsely papillose on both surfaces with a distinct ridged border around perimeter of proximal surface;

proximal laesura less than 0.5 spore radius.

not seen.

Branch

fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.

fascicles with 2 spreading and 2–3 pendent branches.;

branch stems green, with cortex enlarged with retort cells.

Sphagnum bartlettianum

Sphagnum lenense

Phenology Capsules mature late spring to early summer.
Habitat Ecology poorly understood, more southern weakly minerotrophic sites such as the mires in the Pine Barrens of N.J. and the pocosins of the Atlantic coastal plain Common forming hummocks and carpets in a variety of weakly minerotrophic to ombrotrophic mires including Eriophorum tussock fens, dwarf shrub fens, polygon peatlands, string mires and raised bogs
Elevation low to moderate elevations low to moderate elevations
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; CA; CT; DE; FL; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; BC; NB; NF; NS; QC; Europe
from FNA
AK; NF; NT; NU; QC; YT; Greenland; Eurasia
Discussion

Sporophytes are not common in Sphagnum bartlettianum. Confusion is most likely with S. rubellum, with which it frequently co-occurs in the northern part of its range. The ecology is poorly understood due to taxonomic confusion with S. rubellum; the latter species, however, is more typical of boreal poor fens and bogs. Sphagnum bartlettianum has a narrower stem leaf with a distinctly pointed and even apiculate tip, whereas the stem leaf on S. rubellum is quite rounded. The branch leaves of S. bartlettianum are also narrower than those of S. rubellum and are never subsecund as in the latter. Sphagnum quinquefarium has shorter and wider stem leaves as well as often having 3 spreading branches per fascicle. Sphagnum wilfii can appear quite similar and it does overlap the range of S. bartlettianum in coastal British Columbia and southeastern Alaska. Sphagnum wilfii has a stem leaf that is triangular to triangular-lingulate in contrast to the narrowly lingulate-triangular stem leaf of S. bartlettianum.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Sporophytes are rare in Sphagnum lenense. This species is easily distinguished from the similar S. lindbergii by its compact growth form and reddish brown color. Sphagnum lenense also is a hummock former in the tundra whereas S. lindbergii forms carpets.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 90. FNA vol. 27, p. 70.
Parent taxa Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Acutifolia Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Cuspidata
Sibling taxa
S. affine, S. alaskense, S. andersonianum, S. angermanicum, S. angustifolium, S. annulatum, S. aongstroemii, S. arcticum, S. atlanticum, S. austinii, S. balticum, S. beothuk, S. bergianum, S. brevifolium, S. capillifolium, S. carolinianum, S. centrale, S. compactum, S. contortum, S. cribrosum, S. cuspidatum, S. cyclophyllum, S. fallax, S. fimbriatum, S. fitzgeraldii, S. flavicomans, S. flexuosum, S. fuscum, S. girgensohnii, S. henryense, S. imbricatum, S. inexspectatum, S. inundatum, S. isoviitae, S. jensenii, S. junghuhnianum, S. kenaiense, S. lenense, S. lescurii, S. lindbergii, S. macrophyllum, S. magellanicum, S. majus, S. mcqueenii, S. mendocinum, S. microcarpum, S. mirum, S. mississippiense, S. molle, S. obtusum, S. oregonense, S. orientale, S. pacificum, S. palustre, S. papillosum, S. perfoliatum, S. perichaetiale, S. platyphyllum, S. portoricense, S. pulchrum, S. pylaesii, S. quinquefarium, S. recurvum, S. riparium, S. rubellum, S. rubiginosum, S. rubroflexuosum, S. russowii, S. sitchense, S. splendens, S. squarrosum, S. steerei, S. strictum, S. subfulvum, S. subnitens, S. subsecundum, S. subtile, S. talbotianum, S. tenellum, S. tenerum, S. teres, S. torreyanum, S. trinitense, S. tundrae, S. viride, S. warnstorfii, S. wilfii, S. wulfianum
S. affine, S. alaskense, S. andersonianum, S. angermanicum, S. angustifolium, S. annulatum, S. aongstroemii, S. arcticum, S. atlanticum, S. austinii, S. balticum, S. bartlettianum, S. beothuk, S. bergianum, S. brevifolium, S. capillifolium, S. carolinianum, S. centrale, S. compactum, S. contortum, S. cribrosum, S. cuspidatum, S. cyclophyllum, S. fallax, S. fimbriatum, S. fitzgeraldii, S. flavicomans, S. flexuosum, S. fuscum, S. girgensohnii, S. henryense, S. imbricatum, S. inexspectatum, S. inundatum, S. isoviitae, S. jensenii, S. junghuhnianum, S. kenaiense, S. lescurii, S. lindbergii, S. macrophyllum, S. magellanicum, S. majus, S. mcqueenii, S. mendocinum, S. microcarpum, S. mirum, S. mississippiense, S. molle, S. obtusum, S. oregonense, S. orientale, S. pacificum, S. palustre, S. papillosum, S. perfoliatum, S. perichaetiale, S. platyphyllum, S. portoricense, S. pulchrum, S. pylaesii, S. quinquefarium, S. recurvum, S. riparium, S. rubellum, S. rubiginosum, S. rubroflexuosum, S. russowii, S. sitchense, S. splendens, S. squarrosum, S. steerei, S. strictum, S. subfulvum, S. subnitens, S. subsecundum, S. subtile, S. talbotianum, S. tenellum, S. tenerum, S. teres, S. torreyanum, S. trinitense, S. tundrae, S. viride, S. warnstorfii, S. wilfii, S. wulfianum
Synonyms S. bartlettianum var. roseum S. lindbergii var. microphyllum
Name authority Warnstorf: in H. G. A. Engler, Pflanzenr. 51[III]: 105. (1911) Pohle: Trudy Glavn. Bot. Sada 33: 14. (1915)
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