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sphagnum

fringe bogmoss, fringe peat-moss, sphagnum

Habit Plants moderate-sized to robust, capitulum compact and well rounded in open-grown forms, lax to somewhat compact; green in shade forms to golden yellow to golden brown in open-grown forms, occasionally with a pinkish tinge; lawns, loose low hummocks to larger, ± firm hummocks. Plants typically small and slender, larger and compact in the Arctic, capitulum small to moderate-sized, often with a conspicuous terminal bud; green, yellowish brown to brown; without metallic lustre when dry.
Stem(s)

leaves to 1.2–2.2 × 0.8–1 mm; rarely hemiisophyllous;

hyaline cells non-ornamented, rarely septate, comb-lamellae absent.

leaves spatulate to broad-spatulate, 0.8–1.5(–2) mm, strongly lacerate across the broad apex and often part way down the margins, border scarcely to strongly broadened at base (0.25 width of base or less);

hyaline cells rhomboid, efibrillose and often 1–2-septate.

Branches

tapering, leaves spreading to somewhat imbricate.

not 5-ranked, quite terete, long, and slender Branch fascicles with 1– 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.

Branch leaves

broadly ovate, to 1.7 × 1.5 mm;

hyaline cells non-ornamented, convex surface with elliptic to rarely round pores along the commissures; chlorophyllous cells lenticular to narrowly elliptical in transverse section, narrowly exposed on both ends, but more so on concave surface, end walls thickened at both ends.

ovate to ovate-lanceolate; 1.1–1.5(–2) mm, slightly concave, straight;

apex involute;

margins entire;

hyaline cells on convex surface with numerous pores along the commissures grading from small pores near leaf apex to large pores at base, concave surface with large round pores at leaf apex and along margins.

Sexual condition

dioicous.

often monoicous.

Capsule

with inconspicuous pseudostomata.

Spores

23–30 µm;

surface finely roughened to smooth;

laesura on proximal surface more than 0.5 spore radius.

20–27 µm, finely papillose on both surfaces;

proximal laesura less than 0.5 spore radius.

Branch

fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.;

branch stems with cortical cells non-ornamented, no or weak funnel-like projections on the interior end walls, often with large round pores on the superficial walls.

Sphagnum centrale

Sphagnum fimbriatum

Phenology Capsules uncommon, mature late summer.
Habitat Medium to rich fens, especially prominent in coniferous fens and sedge fens
Elevation low to high elevations
Distribution
from FNA
CT; IA; ID; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; VT; WA; WI; AB; BC; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; Greenland; Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
from USDA
North America; South America; Eurasia; Pacific Islands (New Zealand)
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Sphagnum centrale is most similar to S. alaskense but seems to have no range overlap with that species and is also considerably more minerotrophic. In the field it lacks the often reddish tinge of S. palustre and is larger than S. affine. See also discussion under 2. S. alaskense and 9. S. papillosum.

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

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Plants small and slender, capitulum small and with a conspicuous terminal bud; stem leaves fimbriate down the sides and weakly to moderately bordered at the base
subsp. fimbriatum
1. Plants moderate-sized and compact, capitulum moderate sized and lacking a conspicuous terminal bud; stem leaves entire down the sides and strongly bordered at the base
subsp. concinnum
Source FNA vol. 27, p. 50. FNA vol. 27, p. 92.
Parent taxa Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Sphagnum 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. capillifolium, S. carolinianum, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
S. fimbriatum subsp. concinnum, S. fimbriatum subsp. fimbriatum
Synonyms S. palustre subsp. intermedium, S. subbicolor
Name authority C. E. O. Jensen: Bih. Kongl. Svenska. Vetensk.-Akad. Handl. 21(10): 34. (1896) Wilson & Hooker: in J. D. Hooker, Fl. Antarct., 398. (1847)
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