Sphagnum junghuhnianum |
Sphagnum compactum |
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junghuhn's sphagnum |
compact peat-moss, low sphagnum |
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Habit | Plants moderate-sized, soft, loosely tufted, slender, capitulum flat-topped to rounded; pale, dirty green, yellowish to brownish; without metallic lustre when dry. | 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-lingulate, 1.2–1.6 mm, broadly apex acute to narrowly truncate and toothed, border narrow or indistinct at base (less than 0.25 the width); hyaline cells rhomboid, mostly 0–1-septate; convex surface with membrane pleats, concave surface with 1–3 rounded membrane gaps occupying most of cell. |
leaves small, 0.3–0.7 mm, triangular-lingulate with broad rounded apex, Branches short, crowded, and unranked. |
Branches | somewhat 5-ranked. |
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Branch leaves | ovate-lanceolate, 1.3–2 mm, strongly concave, apex strongly involute; margins entire to somewhat toothed near apex, hyaline cells on convex surface with numerous ringed elliptic pores (6–10) along commissures, concave surface mostly aporose except near margins; Sexual condition dioicous or monoicous. |
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 | monoicous. |
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Capsule | with abundant pseudostomata. |
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Spores | 21–23 µm; minutely papillose. |
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 1–2 pendent branches. |
fascicles 4–6 branches per fascicle, 2–3 spreading and 2–3 pendent, but plants frequently unbranched in young clones. |
Sphagnum junghuhnianum |
Sphagnum compactum |
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Phenology | Capsules fairly common, mature summer. | |
Habitat | Shady, seepy cliffs | Ombrotrophic to weakly minerotrophic, commonly growing on poorly drained sand, siliceous rocks, bare peat |
Elevation | low elevations | low to high elevations |
Distribution |
BC; e Asia |
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 | Sphagnum junghuhnianum in the flora area is known only from the Queen Charlotte Islands. Sporophytes of Sphagnum junghuhnianum were not seen. Three other large, brown species of sect. Acutifolia have stem leaves without fimbriate to lacerate apices, S. subnitens (forms without red color), S. subfulvum, and S. flavicomans. Sphagnum flavicomans has a more pointed stem leaf and a darker brown color as well as a strongly different ecology and range. Both S. subnitens and S. subfulvum have a glossy sheen when dry that is lacking in S. junghuhnianum. Sexual condition and spore characters were taken from H. A. Crum (1984). (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. 95. | FNA vol. 27, p. 56. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. junghuhnianum subsp. pseudomolle, S. pseudomolle | S. compactum var. imbricatum, S. rigidum |
Name authority | Dozy & Molkenboer: Verh. Kon. Akad. Wetensch., Afd. Natuurk. 2: 8. (1854) | Lamarck & de Candolle: Fl. Franç. ed. 3, 2: 443. (1805) |
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