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feathery bog-moss, feathery peat-moss, tooth sphagnum

sphagnum

Habit Plants slender and weak-stemmed, moderate-sized, flaccid and plumose in aquatic forms to more compact in emergent forms, spreading branches often conspicuously falcate, giving capitulum a twisted appearance; green to yellow, often tinged with red, red-brown or brown in capitula. 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 triangular-ovate, more than 1.2 mm, usually appressed;

apex acute to apiculate, hyaline cells rarely septate or porose, apical region often fibrillose.

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

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

Branches

mostly unranked to weakly 5-ranked, often conspicuously falcate, leaves greatly elongated at distal end.

tapering, leaves spreading to somewhat imbricate.

Branch leaves

ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, 1.6–5 mm, falcate toward branch tips, when dry often undulate and recurved, rarely weakly serrulate along the margins in submerged forms, leaves from middle of spreading branches with length to width ratio less than or equal to 1:0.28;

hyaline cells length to width ratio in apical convex surface region 8:1 or more, convex surface with 0–1 small round pores at apex, concave surface with faint round wall thinnings in cell apices and angles; chlorophyllous cells triangular to trapezoidal in transverse section, broadly exposed on the convex surface and exposed slightly on the concave 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

dioicous.

dioicous.

Capsule

with inconspicuous pseudostomata.

Spores

29–38 µm; covered with large papillae on both surfaces, appearing pusticulate;

proximal laesura less than 0.5 spore radius.

23–30 µm;

surface finely roughened to smooth;

laesura on proximal surface more than 0.5 spore radius.

Branch

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

branch stems green, but often pinkish at the proximal ends, with cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells.

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 cuspidatum

Sphagnum centrale

Phenology Capsules uncommon, mature late summer.
Habitat Widespread forming wet carpets in ombrotrophic to weakly minerotrophic mires Medium to rich fens, especially prominent in coniferous fens and sedge fens
Elevation low to moderate elevations low to high elevations
Distribution
from FNA
AL; CT; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; QC; Europe
[WildflowerSearch map]
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]
Discussion

Distinguishing Sphagnum cuspidatum from S. viride is sometimes difficult, as both occur over a similar geographic range and both grow in wet carpets. Sphagnum cuspidatum has narrower branch leaves and usually a distinct red tinge at the branch bases within the capitulum.

(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. 66. FNA vol. 27, p. 50.
Parent taxa Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Cuspidata Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Sphagnum
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. contortum, S. cribrosum, 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. 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. cuspidatum var. plumosum, S. faxonii, S. virginianum S. palustre subsp. intermedium, S. subbicolor
Name authority Hoffman: Deutschl. Fl. 2: 22. (1796) C. E. O. Jensen: Bih. Kongl. Svenska. Vetensk.-Akad. Handl. 21(10): 34. (1896)
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