Sphagnum capillifolium |
Sphagnum tundrae |
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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 small to moderately robust, green to yellow green, with a brownish tinge in hummocks; forms mats and cushions. |
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 shorter than branch leaves, 0.8–1.6 mm, lingulate, hyaline cells non-septate above and commonly 1-septate below. |
Branches | not 5-ranked, terete. |
short and blunt, branch leaves imbricate. |
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. |
0.9–2 mm, ovate, with conspicuously truncate apex, hyaline cells bulging on both surfaces, with 1–4 large circular to elliptic pores per cell on convex surface and 4–7 elliptic pores per cell on concave surface, internal commissural walls faintly papillose, cholrophyll cells elliptical to elliptical-ovate withn the broadest part typically some distance from convex surface. |
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. |
fascicles typically with 2 spreading and 2 hanging branches.; branch stems with single layer of cortical cells. |
Sphagnum capillifolium |
Sphagnum tundrae |
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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 | Forms mats and cushions in weakly minerotrophic arctic mires |
Elevation | low to high elevations | low 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; YT; Europe |
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.) |
Sphagnum tundrae can be separated from other species in sect. Squarrosa most readily by its truncate branch leaves. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 91. | FNA vol. 27, p. 60. |
Parent taxa | ||
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) | Flatberg: Lindbergia 19: 3, figs. 1–3. (1994) |
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