Sphagnum girgensohnii
Sphagnum microcarpum
common green peat-moss, Girgensohn's sphagnum
leaves lingulate, broadly lingulate to lingulate-spatulate; 0.8–1.3 mm, apex broad, truncate and lacerate, border broad at base (more than 0.25 of base);
hyaline cells rhomboid, efibrillose, and rarely septate.
leaves isophyllous, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 2.2–2.8 mm;
apex rounded;
hyaline cells nonseptate, convex surface with 6–12 pores per cell along commissures, concave surface aporose.
typically long and tapering, not 5-ranked.
straight and short.
ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 1–1.4(–1.8) mm, concave, straight, apex strongly involute, margins entire;
hyaline cells on convex surface with numerous elliptic pores along the commissures, grading from small pores near the apex to large pores near the base, concave surface with large round pores along the margins and base.
ovate, 1.3–1.7 mm;
hyaline cells on convex surface with 8–18 elliptic pores more than 8 µm, concave surface aporose.
dioicous.
unknown.
not seen.
21–27 µm, moderately to coarsely papillose on both surfaces;
proximal laesura less than 0.5 spore radius.
not seen.
fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.;
branch stem with solitary retort cells or in groups of 2–3, necks moderately distinct.
fascicles nearly all with 2 spreading branch only.
Sphagnum girgensohnii
Sphagnum microcarpum
Sporophytes are uncommon in Sphagnum girgensohnii. This species is most frequently associated with S. russowii, but also found growing with S. centrale, S. fallax, S. fimbriatum, S. warnstorfii, and S. magellanicum when growing in shaded sites of mires. It is very similar to S. rubiginosum, but S. girgensohnii lacks any reddish pigments, has only 2 spreading branches per fascicle, infrequently produces sporophytes, and differs in spore morphology. Throughout much of its range, S. girgensohnii is readily recognized by its green color and its large, slender, strongly stellate capitulum. In the more northern portion of its range, it frequently forms compact stands with a golden brown color and then the stem leaf must often be examined for accurate identification. In Alaska it overlaps morphogically with S. fimbriatum subsp. concinnum, which can look very similar but will have a more spatulate stem leaf that is lacerate completely across the broad flat apex and slightly down the sides. Sphagnum girgensohnii, on the other hand, has stem leaves only lacerate for about 3/4 of the apex width and less conspicuously broadened at the apex.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Sporophytes are rare in Sphagnum microcarpum, which grows over bare soil in a manner similar to that of S. cyclophyllum and S. fitzgeraldii. It is now recognized as separate from S. cyclophyllum, with which it has been treated as synonymous in the past. Besides the microscopic differences, S. microcarpum has a compact upright growth form quite unlike that of typical S. cyclophyllum. Sphagnum microcarpum is nearly always branched whereas S. cyclophyllum is nearly always simplex.
The name Sphagnum mobilense Warnstorf also has been applied to this taxon.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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