Sphagnum fitzgeraldii |
Sphagnum tenerum |
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fitzgerald's sphagnum |
sphagnum |
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Habit | Plants small and weak-stemmed, flaccid and ± plumose when submerged to (more frequently) sprawling in thin mats; capitulum ± compact and with a strong terminal bud; pale green to greenish white. | Plants ± robust, weak-stemmed, and compact, capitulum hemispherical, branches in capitulum short and blunt; typically mottled pale yellow-green and purplish red, without metallic sheen when dry. |
Stem(s) | pale green; superficial cortex of 1–2 layers of thin-walled and well differentiated cells.; stem leaves large, ovate to oblong-ovate, ca. 2 mm, more or less spreading; apex rounded and serrulate; hyaline cells fibrillose and often 1–septate, convex surface generally aporose, concave surface with 1–several round pores per cell in ends and angles. |
leaves 1.4–1.8 mm, elongate-triangular, lingulate-triangular, hemiisophyllous forms elongate triangular-ovate, 1.4–1.8 mm, apex usually conspicuously toothed, border narrow at base (less than 0.25 width); hyaline cells narrowly rhombic to S-shaped, can be efibrillose and aporose but more commonly fibrillose and porose, 0–1-septate. |
Branches | unranked to slightly 5-ranked, often short and blunt at distal end. |
turgid and terete, leaves, not 5-ranked. |
Branch leaves | ovate to oblong-quadrate, 1.2–2.5 mm, not undulate or recurved when dry, strongly toothed across apex and serrulate on margins; hyaline cells with to 4 small round ringed pores at cell ends on convex surface, small round wall thinnings in the cell ends and angles on the concave surface; chlorophyllous cells trapezoidal in transverse section, more broadly exposed on the convex surface. |
ovate, 1.1–1.7 mm, slightly concave, straight, apex weakly involute and conspicuously toothed; hyaline cells on the convex surface with round to elliptic pores along the commissures, grading from moderate-sized pores near apex to large pores at leaf base, concave surface with large round pores throughout. |
Sexual condition | monoicous. |
uncertain, monoicous or dioicous or possibly both. |
Spores | 38–48 µm; both surfaces covered with fine to moderately coarse papillae; proximal laesura less than 0.4 spore radius. |
22–25 µm, finely roughened. |
Branch | fascicles with 1–2 spreading and 0–1 pendent branches.; branch stems green, with cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells. |
fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches. |
Sphagnum fitzgeraldii |
Sphagnum tenerum |
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Habitat | Commonly in prostrate mats on damp sand, often in recently burned or cleared areas, also occasionally floating in ditches | Damp sand and thin humus especially around pond margins, open savannas, and pine barrens |
Elevation | low elevations | low to moderate elevations |
Distribution |
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; VA |
AL; DC; DE; FL; GA; KY; MD; NC; NJ; NY; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA |
Discussion | Sporophytes of Sphagnum fitzgeraldii are common, being immersed or exserted. This species is found largely on the Atlantic coastal plain. The wide truncate branch leaves easily distinguish it in most situations. Floating plants are not as quickly identified but can be distinguished from other species of sect. Cuspidata by the branch leaves wider than those of similar species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Sporophytes are uncommon in Spagnum tenerum. The sexual condition is uncertain because of past taxonomic confusion with S. capillifolium (R. E. Andrus 1980). Sphagnum tenerum is usually described (incorrectly) as having hemiisophyllous stem leaves, and many collections of other species of sect. Acutifolia with such leaves have been called S. tenerum. When correctly characterized, S. tenerum is can be confused only with S. capillifolium, with which it has only a very small range overlap. Microscopically, besides the otherwise quite different S. angermanicum, S. tenerum is the only species of sect. Acutifolia with large round free pores in most of the branch leaf hyaline cells on their concave surfaces. See also discussion under 71. S. capillifolium. Sexual condition and spore features were taken from H. A. Crum (1984). The name Sphagnum evansii Warnstorf has also been used for this taxon. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 67. | FNA vol. 27, p. 100. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. mohrianum | S. capillaceum var. tenerum, S. capillifolium var. tenerum, S. tenerum var. virginicum |
Name authority | Lesquereu×& James: Man. 23. (1884) | Sullivant: in A. Gray, Manual ed. 2, 611. (1856) |
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