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

cleft peat-moss, streamside 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 stiff and upright, large; green to pale green to brownish, capitulum large and flat, with a conspicuous terminal bud.
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 triangular-lingulate, 1.2–1.4 mm;

apex with a deep lacerate split;

hyaline cells aporose, efibrillose and often septate.

Branches

not 5-ranked, terete.

unranked to rarely 5-ranked, branch leaves only weakly undulate, but sharply recurved at the apex, leaves not much elongated at distal end.

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.

ovate-lanceolate; 2–2.6 mm; straight; weakly undulate but strongly recurved, hyaline cells on convex surface with very large irregular pores (formed from the confluence of several smaller pores) at the cell apex, concave surface with large round wall thinnings in the cell angles; chlorophyllous cells triangular to trapezoidal in transverse section, apex normally slightly exposed on concave surface.

Sexual condition

dioicous.

dioicous.

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.

22–28 µm;

proximal surface noticeably papillose, distal surface smooth or with fewer papillae;

proximal laesura more than 0.5 the length of the radius.

Branch

fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.

fascicles with 2 spreading and 2 pendent branches.;

branch stem green, cortex enlarged with retort cells.

Sphagnum capillifolium

Sphagnum riparium

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 often extensive carpets in weakly minerotrophic mires
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; CT; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; VT; WA; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Greenland; 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 riparium. This species is typically very easily recognized in the field with its pale green color, strong terminal bud, and unranked branch leaves.

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

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 91. FNA vol. 27, p. 75.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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) Ångström: Öfvers. Kongl. Vetensk.-Akad. Förh. 21: 198. (1864)
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