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flat-top bogmoss, sphagnum

angerman's sphagnum

Habit Plants moderate-sized, fairly stiff-stemmed; green, brownish green, pale yellow, golden yellow, yellow and brown; capitulum hemispherical and not 5-radiate to somewhat 5-radiate in shade-grown or wet-grown forms. Plants moderate-sized, soft and lax, capitulum large with head branches that are typically distinctively blunt and transversely flattened; usually pale green with a weak purplish coloration evident late in the growing season, often with a weak metallic luster when dry.
Stem(s)

leaves triangular to lingulate-triangular, 0.8–1.2 mm, mostly appressed to the stem, apex acute to apiculate, hyaline cells mostly efibrillose and nonseptate.

leaves lingulate to spatulate, widest above middle (1.5 times as wide as the base), 1.5–2.5 mm, apex obtuse and dentate to lacerate;

border entire and little broadened at base, hyaline cells elongated-rhomboid, normally 1-septate, strongly fibrillose in distal portion, convex surface with numerous large pores and resorption gaps in apical angles, concave surface with large resorption gaps below and large resorption pores above.

Branches

straight, mostly unranked, but can be 5-ranked in wet-growing forms, leaves little elongated at distal branch ends.

unranked, terete.

Branch leaves

ovate-lanceolate, greater than 1.2 mm, straight, undulate and sharply recurved when dry, margins entire;

hyaline cells on convex surface with usually 1 round pore per cell at apical end, on concave side with round wall thinnings in the cell ends and angles; chlorophyllous cells triangular and just reaching or slightly enclosed within the concave surface.

ovate, 1.3–2.5 mm, straight, not concave;

apex weakly involute, broadly truncate with 6–10 conspicuous teeth;

border entire;

hyaline cells on convex surface with elliptic pores (4–8 per cell) along the commissures, concave surface with large round pores in distal half and proximal portion of cells.

Sexual condition

dioicous.

dioicous.

Spores

25–31 µm;

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

proximal laesura less than 0.5 spore radius.

26–34 µm; finely granulose-roughened.

Branch

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

branch stems green but proximal end sometimes red, with cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells.

fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.

Sphagnum fallax

Sphagnum angermanicum

Habitat Widespread in poor fen habitats, often as a pioneer species in extensive mats, occasionally in ombrotrophic mires at hummock bases Minerotrophic, hydrophytic
Elevation low to moderate elevations low to moderate elevations
Distribution
from FNA
CT; DE; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; TN; VA; VT; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; Europe
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
MA; ME; NH; NJ; NY; NB; NF; NS; QC; Europe
Discussion

Sphagnum fallax can be distinguished from the closely related S. isoviitae by its sharply recurved branch leaves, as opposed to the leaves of the latter only slightly reflexed at their tips. See also discussion under 26. S. brevifolium and 46. S. splendens.

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

Sporophytes of Sphagnum angermanicum are rare. This is a species associated with typically poor fen species such as S. flavicomans, S. bartlettianum, S. papillosum, S. pulchrum, and S. rubellum. It is usually easily recognized by its pale color and blunt, short and flattened capitulum branches, and also is limited to wetter microsites than most species of sect. Acutifolia and rarely forms hummocks. Spore characters are taken from H. A. Crum (1984).

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

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 67. FNA vol. 27, p. 89.
Parent taxa Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Cuspidata 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. contortum, S. cribrosum, S. cuspidatum, S. cyclophyllum, 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. 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. 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. fallax, S. apiculatum, S. flexuosum var. fallax, S. mucronatum, S. recurvum var. brevifolium, S. recurvum var. fallax, S. recurvum subsp. mucronatum S. nemoreum var. angermanicum
Name authority (H. Klinggräff) H. Klinggräff: Vers. Topogr. Fl. Westpreuss., 128. (1880) Melin: Svensk Bot. Tidskr. 13: 21. (1919)
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