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common red peat-moss, small red peat moss, sphagnum

arctic sphagnum

Habit 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. Plants moderately robust, capitulum distinct and flat-topped; golden brown, brown or dark-brown, less commonly variegated green and brown, without metallic luster when dry.
Stem(s)

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.

leaves narrowly to broadly lingulate or sometimes lingulate-spatulate, (1.1–)1.2–1.4(–1.6) mm;

apex broadly obtuse to obtuse-truncate and more or less fimbriate-lacerately resorbed, border in distal half narrow and often indistinct, in proximal half widened and filling up 1/3–1/2(–2/3) of the breadth at the base;

hyaline cells broadly S-shaped to rhombic S-shaped, predominantly nonseptate but a few cells are 1–3-septate;

efibrillose.

Branches

not 5-ranked, terete.

unranked, terete.

Branch leaves

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.

broadly lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, (1.1–)1.4–1.8(–2.1) mm, slightly concave, straight to slightly subsecund;

apex involute;

border entire;

hyaline cells on convex surface with (5–)8–10(–12) semicircular to elliptical, ringed pores along the commissures, concave surface aporose or infrequently with 1–2 pores per cell in the distal portion of the cell, more numerous along leaf margins.

Sexual condition

dioicous.

unknown.

Spores

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.

not seen.

Branch

fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.

fascicles with 2 spreading and 1 pendent branch.

Sphagnum capillifolium

Sphagnum arcticum

Phenology Capsules mature mid summer.
Habitat 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 Forming low hummocks in weakly to moderately minerotrophic fens
Elevation low to high elevations low to moderate elevations
Distribution
from FNA
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
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AK; QC; YT; Eurasia
Discussion

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.)

Sporophytes are uncommon in Sphagnum arcticum. All collections of this fairly common species have been made north of 59° N latitude in wet or moist tundra vegetation. In its typical dark brown color, this species is often quite distinctive in the field. Sphagnum fuscum is smaller, not as dark, and its stem leaves are not as truncate-lacerate. Sphagnum subfulvum has a glossy sheen, which S. arcticum lacks, and its stem leaf has an obtuse but not lacerate apex.

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

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 91. FNA vol. 27, p. 89.
Parent taxa Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Acutifolia Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Acutifolia
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. bartlettianum, S. beothuk, S. bergianum, S. brevifolium, 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. 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. 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
Synonyms S. palustre var. capillifolium, S. capillaceum, S. capillifolium var. viride, S. margaritae
Name authority (Ehrhart) Hedwig: Fund. Hist. Nat. Musc. Frond. 2: 86. (1782) K. I. Flatberg & Frisvoll: Bryologist 87: 143, figs. 1–22. (1984)
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