The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

compact peat-moss, low sphagnum

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.

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.

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

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
from FNA
CT; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; VA; VT; WV; AB; NF; NS; QC; Europe
from FNA
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)
[WildflowerSearch map]
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 Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Cuspidata Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Rigida
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. fallax, S. fimbriatum, S. fitzgeraldii, S. flavicomans, S. flexuosum, S. fuscum, S. girgensohnii, S. henryense, S. imbricatum, S. inexspectatum, S. inundatum, 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. 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. 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. 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)
Web links