Sphagnum girgensohnii
Sphagnum quinquefarium
common green peat-moss, Girgensohn's sphagnum
five-rank peat-moss, 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 triangular to triangular-lingulate, 1–1.3 mm, apex acute to slightly obtuse, border broad at base (more than 0.25 width);
hyaline cells narrowly rhomboid, mostly 0–1-septate and mostly efibrillose.
typically long and tapering, not 5-ranked.
usually strongly 5-ranked.
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 to ovate-lanceolate, 1.1–1.5 mm, concave, straight, apex slightly involute;
hyaline cells on convex surface with numerous oval to elliptic pores along commissures grading from small pores near apex to large round pores at base, concave surface with large round pores in proximal portions of leaf.
dioicous.
monoicous or dioicous.
21–27 µm, moderately to coarsely papillose on both surfaces;
proximal laesura less than 0.5 spore radius.
19–27 µm, finely papillose on proximal surface, pusticulate on distal surface;
proximal laesura less than 0.4 spore radius.
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 with mostly 3 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.
Sphagnum girgensohnii
Sphagnum quinquefarium
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 common in Sphagnum quinquefarium. This species is usually associated with S. capillifolium, S. girgensohnii, and S. russowii. No other species of sect. Acutifolia has the combination of quinquefarious branch leaves and three spreading branches per fascicle. Sphagnum rubiginosum has three spreading branches but the branch leaves are quite unranked and its lingulate stem leaf is quite distinct from the triangular stem leaf of S. quinquefarium. See also discussion under 86. S. talbotianum.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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