Sphagnum compactum |
Sphagnum centrale |
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compact peat-moss, low sphagnum |
sphagnum |
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Habit | Plants moderate to large-sized, dense and compact, pale green, brownish white, golden brown to variegated golden brown, can be reddish in rocky seep habitats; forms small, tufted compact cushions. | 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. |
Stem(s) | leaves small, 0.3–0.7 mm, triangular-lingulate with broad rounded apex, Branches short, crowded, and unranked. |
leaves to 1.2–2.2 × 0.8–1 mm; rarely hemiisophyllous; hyaline cells non-ornamented, rarely septate, comb-lamellae absent. |
Branches | tapering, leaves spreading to somewhat imbricate. |
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Branch leaves | large, 1.4–3 mm, semi-squarrose to squarrose, ovate and abruptly involute in distal portion, appearing cucullate with toothed apex, usually no more than 6 teeth; hyaline cells with 5 or more ringed, round to elliptical pores on convex surface, numerous pseudopores on concave surface with 3-ringed corner pores occurring in 3s at adjacent cell angles; chlorophyllous cells elliptic in transverse section, entirely included by hyaline cells, slightly nearer to convex surface. |
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. |
Sexual condition | monoicous. |
dioicous. |
Capsule | with abundant pseudostomata. |
with inconspicuous pseudostomata. |
Spores | 25–35 µm; finely papillose on proximal surface, coarsely papillose on distal surface with raised Y-mark sculpture; proximal laesura short, 0.3–0.5 spore radius. |
23–30 µm; surface finely roughened to smooth; laesura on proximal surface more than 0.5 spore radius. |
Branch | fascicles 4–6 branches per fascicle, 2–3 spreading and 2–3 pendent, but plants frequently unbranched in young clones. |
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 compactum |
Sphagnum centrale |
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Phenology | Capsules fairly common, mature summer. | Capsules uncommon, mature late summer. |
Habitat | Ombrotrophic to weakly minerotrophic, commonly growing on poorly drained sand, siliceous rocks, bare peat | Medium to rich fens, especially prominent in coniferous fens and sedge fens |
Elevation | low to high elevations | low to high elevations |
Distribution |
AK; AR; CA; CT; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; SC; TN; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; South America; Greenland; Eurasia; Pacific Islands (New Zealand)
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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
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Discussion | Sphagnum compactum is usually easily recognized by its combination of golden brown color and involute, cucullate branch leaves. Sphagnum strictum is paler and usually strongly squarrose. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 56. | FNA vol. 27, p. 50. |
Parent taxa | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Rigida | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Sphagnum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. compactum var. imbricatum, S. rigidum | S. palustre subsp. intermedium, S. subbicolor |
Name authority | Lamarck & de Candolle: Fl. Franç. ed. 3, 2: 443. (1805) | C. E. O. Jensen: Bih. Kongl. Svenska. Vetensk.-Akad. Handl. 21(10): 34. (1896) |
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