Sphagnum isoviitae |
Sphagnum compactum |
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compact peat-moss, low sphagnum |
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Habit | Plants moderate-sized and moderately weak-stemmed to moderately stiff; green, brownish green to brown; capitulum flat-topped and 5-radiate, terminal bud often visible. | Plants moderate to large-sized, dense and compact, pale green, brownish white, golden brown to variegated golden brown, can be reddish in rocky seep habitats; forms small, tufted compact cushions. |
Stem(s) | leaves triangular to lingulate-triangular, equal to or more than 0.8 mm, spreading to appressed; apex acute to apiculate, hyaline cells mostly efibrillose and nonseptate. |
leaves small, 0.3–0.7 mm, triangular-lingulate with broad rounded apex, Branches short, crowded, and unranked. |
Branches | ± straight and somewhat tapered, usually 5-ranked, leaves not greatly elongated at branch distal end. |
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Branch leaves | narrowly ovate-lanceolate, greater than 1.2 mm, straight, slightly undulate and weakly recurved when dry, margins entire; hyaline cells on convex surface with 1 pore per cell in apical end, on concave surface with round wall thinnings in the cell ends and angles; chlorophyllous cells in transverse section triangular to ovate-triangular and well-enclosed on the concave surface. |
large, 1.4–3 mm, semi-squarrose to squarrose, ovate and abruptly involute in distal portion, appearing cucullate with toothed apex, usually no more than 6 teeth; hyaline cells with 5 or more ringed, round to elliptical pores on convex surface, numerous pseudopores on concave surface with 3-ringed corner pores occurring in 3s at adjacent cell angles; chlorophyllous cells elliptic in transverse section, entirely included by hyaline cells, slightly nearer to convex surface. |
Sexual condition | dioicous. |
monoicous. |
Capsule | with abundant pseudostomata. |
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Spores | 24–33 µm; finely papillose on the superficial surface. |
25–35 µm; finely papillose on proximal surface, coarsely papillose on distal surface with raised Y-mark sculpture; proximal laesura short, 0.3–0.5 spore radius. |
Branch | fascicles with 2 spreading and 2–3 pendent branches.; branch stems green and often reddish at proximal end, with cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells. |
fascicles 4–6 branches per fascicle, 2–3 spreading and 2–3 pendent, but plants frequently unbranched in young clones. |
Sphagnum isoviitae |
Sphagnum compactum |
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Phenology | Capsules fairly common, mature summer. | |
Habitat | Forming carpets in a wide variety of poor to medium fen habitats of both mire edge and mire wide character, not found in ombrotrophic mires | Ombrotrophic to weakly minerotrophic, commonly growing on poorly drained sand, siliceous rocks, bare peat |
Elevation | low to moderate elevations | low to high elevations |
Distribution |
CT; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; VA; VT; WV; AB; NF; NS; QC; Europe |
AK; AR; CA; CT; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; SC; TN; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; South America; Greenland; Eurasia; Pacific Islands (New Zealand)
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Discussion | Sporophytes are uncommon in Sphagnum isoviitae. See discussion under 26. S. brevifolium and 28. S. fallax for distinction from these similar species. Sphagnum isoviitae has no range overlap with S. pacificum, the other North American species of the S. recurvum complex with apiculate stem leaves; the sharply recurved branch leaves of the latter, however, would separate it easily in any case. Spore features are those given by Flatberg. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Sphagnum compactum is usually easily recognized by its combination of golden brown color and involute, cucullate branch leaves. Sphagnum strictum is paler and usually strongly squarrose. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 68. | FNA vol. 27, p. 56. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. compactum var. imbricatum, S. rigidum | |
Name authority | Flatberg: J. Bryol. 17: 2, figs. 1, 2. (1992) | Lamarck & de Candolle: Fl. Franç. ed. 3, 2: 443. (1805) |
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