Sphagnum capillifolium |
Sphagnum talbotianum |
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common red peat-moss, small red peat moss, sphagnum |
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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 red pigmented; capitulum flat-topped and moderately dense. |
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. |
red-tinged, cortex eporose.; stem leaves triangular-lingulate to lingulate with a more or less obtuse apex, 0.8–1.05 × 0.5–0.55 mm; border strongly developed at the base; hyaline cells rhomboid and 0–1-septate, efibrillose and eporose. |
Branches | not 5-ranked, terete. |
with leaves 5-ranked and loosely spreading. |
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. |
small, 1–1.2 × 0.3–0.35 mm; convex surface with moderate-sized pores, grading from 4–6 µm near apex to more than 20 µm at base, concave surface eporose except for occasional large round pores in proximal side regions. |
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. |
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Branch | fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches. |
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Sphagnum capillifolium |
Sphagnum talbotianum |
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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 poor to medium fens in arctic and maritime tundra |
Elevation | low to high elevations | low to moderate elevations |
Distribution |
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
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AK |
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.) |
In the range of Sphagnum talbotianum, there are potentially three other species of sect. Acutifolia with quinquefarious branch leaves. Sphagnum rubellum has branch leaves somewhat subsecund and less strictly 5-ranked. It is also not clear whether there is even range overlap. Sphagnum quinquefarium has a more triangular stem leaf, and has some branch fascicles with three spreading branches. Sphagnum warnstorfii is most similar but macroscopically has a somewhat larger stem leaf. Microscopically, S. warnstorfii is readily distinguished by its tiny branch leaf pores. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 91. | FNA vol. 27, p. 100. |
Parent taxa | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Acutifolia | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Acutifolia |
Sibling taxa | ||
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) | R. E. Andrus: Sida 22: 970, figs. 35–40. (2006) |
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