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

rough peat moss, shaggy peat, sphagnum, spiky bog-moss, spread-leaf peat moss, spreading-leaf bog moss

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 robust, stiff; green, pale green, yellow-green; large terminal bud; typically as loose carpets in coniferous forests.
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.

green to red-brown; 2–3 superficial cortical layers.;

stem leaves shorter than branch leaves, ovate-lingulate to oblong-lingulate, 1.6–1.8 × 1–1.2 mm;

hyaline cells mostly nonseptate.

Branches

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

long and tapering with distinct squarrose spreading leaves, often terete in tundra forms.

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.

larger than stem leaves, 1.9–2.8 mm, conspicuously squarrose from ovate-hastate base and abruptly narrowed 1/2–1/3 distance from apex into involute-concave acumen, often terete in tundra forms;

hyaline cells convex on both surfaces, non-ringed pores at ends and corners of cells, ringed pores on concave surface (4–8/cell) and nonringed pores (2–4/cell) on convex surface, internal commissural walls smooth or indistinctly papillose, chlorophyllous cells ovate triangular with widest part at or close to the convex surface.

Sexual condition

dioicous.

monoicous.

Spores

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

proximal laesura less than 0.5 spore radius.

17–30 µm;

proximal surface finely papillose, distal surface smooth with raised bifurcated Y-mark sculpture;

proximal laesura 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 2–3 pendent branches.;

branch stems with 1–2 layers of cortical cells.

Sphagnum cuspidatum

Sphagnum squarrosum

Phenology Sporophytes abundant, capsules mature early to mid summer.
Habitat Widespread forming wet carpets in ombrotrophic to weakly minerotrophic mires Forming loose carpets in rich habitats such as wet coniferous forests, Thuja swamps, karrs, medium fens, and stream margins
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
AK; AZ; CA; CO; CT; IA; ID; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OR; PA; SD; TN; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Greenland; Eurasia; Pacific Islands (New Zealand)
[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.)

In its typical robust form with strongly squarrose branch leaves, Sphagnum squarrosum is unmistakeable. Smaller forms such as occur in the higher mountains may be difficult to identify accurately without careful examination of microscopic details. In the tundra there sometimes occur large, terete forms of S. squarrosum but these are usually considerably more robust than S. teres. See also discussion under 14. S. strictum.

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

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 66. FNA vol. 27, p. 59.
Parent taxa Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Cuspidata Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Squarrosa
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. 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. 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. squarrosum var. imbricatum
Name authority Hoffman: Deutschl. Fl. 2: 22. (1796) Crome: Samml. Deut. Laubm., 24. (1803)
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