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sphagnum

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 small, soft, fairly weak-stemmed; pale green to pale yellow brown; capitulum not 5-radiate or only weakly so, may be tinged with red; loose to somewhat compact.
Stem(s)

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

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

leaves 0.7–1 mm (to 1.2 mm in hemiisophyllous forms) elongate-triangular to triangular-lingulate, apex obtuse-erose, to apiculate; usually fibrillose at least apically; in hemiisophyllous forms spreading and in anisophyllous forms appressed;

hyaline cells often septate at base.

Branches

tapering, leaves spreading to somewhat imbricate.

moderately long and tapering, unranked to weakly 5-ranked, leaves not much elongated at distal end.

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.

1–1.7 mm, ovate-lanceolate, undulate and recurved when dry;

hyaline cells on convex surface with 3–10 round pores per cell in the cell angles and free, on concave surface with round wall thinnings in the ends and angles.

Sexual condition

dioicous.

unknown.

Capsule

with inconspicuous pseudostomata.

Spores

23–30 µm;

surface finely roughened to smooth;

laesura on proximal surface more than 0.5 spore radius.

not seen.

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.

fascicles with 2 spreading and 2–3 pendent branches.;

branch stem cortex enlarged and with conspicuous retort cells.

Sphagnum centrale

Sphagnum rubroflexuosum

Phenology Capsules uncommon, mature late summer.
Habitat Medium to rich fens, especially prominent in coniferous fens and sedge fens Forming carpets in weakly minerotrophic fens
Elevation low to high elevations moderate 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 FNA
MD; PA
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.)

Sporophytes are unknown in Sphagnum rubroflexuosum. Compared to the closely related S. flexuosum, this species is paler and may have a reddish stem. Otherwise, identification must be made microscopically on the basis of branch leaf porosity. Although we have not seen this species in the field, it should be separable from S. majus, the only other large, aquatic species of sect. Cuspidata, in its range by traits of stem leaves and its color. Sphagnum majus is also typically a much darker brown.

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

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 50. FNA vol. 27, p. 76.
Parent taxa Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Sphagnum 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. 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. 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. 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 subsp. intermedium, S. subbicolor
Name authority C. E. O. Jensen: Bih. Kongl. Svenska. Vetensk.-Akad. Handl. 21(10): 34. (1896) R. E. Andrus: Bryologist 91: 364, figs. 1–8. (1988)
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