Flora of North America species comparison

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Sphagnum contortum

Sphagnum bartlettianum

contorted sphagnum, twisted peat-moss

Bartlett's sphagnum
Habit Plants moderate to small-sized, weak-stemmed to spawling; green, yellow-green to golden brown; capitulum usually large and flat with curved branches; green, yellow-green, or golden brown. Plants ± moderate-sized, capitula flat-topped and stellate to some-what hemispherical; variegated pale yellowish and red, sometimes partially green or completely red; without metallic lustre when dry.
Stem(s)

leaves triangular-lingulate to lingulate, 0.7–1.4 mm;

apex rounded-obtuse and weakly denticulate;

hyaline cells nonseptate, mostly efibrillose, and, if porose, with more pores per cell on the concave surface (3–6) than on the convex surface (0–2).

leaves narrowly lingulate-triangular, 1.2–1.8 mm, apex acute to apiculate, border not developed much along margins and narrow at base (occupying less than 0.25 the width of the base);

hyaline cells rhombic, mostly 0–1-septate.
Branches

somewhat curved, leaves spreading.

usually strongly 5-ranked.
Branch leaves

ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 1.2–2 mm;

subsecund;

hyaline cells with numerous tiny pores in a continuous line along the commissures on the convex surface, no or scattered pores on the concave surface.

narrowly ovate-lanceolate, 1.2–1.5 mm, concave, straight, apex strongly involute, border entire, hyaline cells on convex surface with 3–9 faintly ringed rounded-elliptic pores along the commissures often quite small apically, largely aporose on concave surface.
Sexual condition

dioicous.

dioicous.
Capsule

exserted, with scattered pseudo-stomata.

Spores

22–28 µm;

papillose on both surfaces;

proximal laesurae more than 0.5 spore radius.

19–28 µm; coarsely papillose on both surfaces with a distinct ridged border around perimeter of proximal surface;

proximal laesura less than 0.5 spore radius.
Branch

fascicles with 2–3 spreading and 2–3(4) pendent branches.

fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.

Sphagnum contortum

Sphagnum bartlettianum
Phenology Capsules mature late spring to early summer.
Habitat Very minerotrophic, sometimes found in slightly basic mires, intolerant of shade Ecology poorly understood, more southern weakly minerotrophic sites such as the mires in the Pine Barrens of N.J. and the pocosins of the Atlantic coastal plain
Elevation low to moderate elevations low to moderate elevations
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; CO; CT; ID; IL; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; VT; WA; WI; WV; AB; BC; NF; NS; ON; QC; Eurasia
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; CA; CT; DE; FL; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; BC; NB; NF; NS; QC; Europe
Discussion

Sporophytes are rare in Sphagnum contortum. This species is often associated with S. warnstorfii, S. centrale, Campylium stellatum, and Calliergonella cuspidata. The relatively small size, curved capitulum branches, and loosely spreading, subsecund branch leaves separate this species along with S. subsecundum. See also discussion under 61. S. platyphyllum.

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

Sporophytes are not common in Sphagnum bartlettianum. Confusion is most likely with S. rubellum, with which it frequently co-occurs in the northern part of its range. The ecology is poorly understood due to taxonomic confusion with S. rubellum; the latter species, however, is more typical of boreal poor fens and bogs. Sphagnum bartlettianum has a narrower stem leaf with a distinctly pointed and even apiculate tip, whereas the stem leaf on S. rubellum is quite rounded. The branch leaves of S. bartlettianum are also narrower than those of S. rubellum and are never subsecund as in the latter. Sphagnum quinquefarium has shorter and wider stem leaves as well as often having 3 spreading branches per fascicle. Sphagnum wilfii can appear quite similar and it does overlap the range of S. bartlettianum in coastal British Columbia and southeastern Alaska. Sphagnum wilfii has a stem leaf that is triangular to triangular-lingulate in contrast to the narrowly lingulate-triangular stem leaf of S. bartlettianum.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 27, p. 80. FNA vol. 27, p. 90.
Parent taxa Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Subsecunda 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. centrale, S. compactum, 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. 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. 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
Synonyms S. bartlettianum var. roseum
Name authority Schultz: Prodr. Fl. Starg. Suppl., 64. (1819) Warnstorf: in H. G. A. Engler, Pflanzenr. 51[III]: 105. (1911)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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