Sphagnum lenense |
Sphagnum atlanticum |
|
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sphagnum |
Atlantic sphagnum |
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Habit | Plants compact, short-branched and small; strongly reddish to golden brown, glossy when dry; flat-topped capitulum with moderately differentiated terminal bud. | Plants robust and weak-stemmed; green, golden brown to dark brown; capitulum often flat-topped and with a visible terminal bud; flaccid and plumose in submerged forms to more compact in emergent or stranded forms. |
Stem(s) | leaves lingulate,small, equal to or less than 0.8 mm, appressed to stem; apex with strong lacerate split in the middle; hyaline cells efibrillose, aporose, and nonseptate. |
leaves triangular, large, less than 1.7 mm, mostly appressed to stem, apex weakly apiculate to narrowly obtuse; hyaline cells efibrillose and seldom to often septate at base and sides. |
Branches | strongly 5-ranked, short and blunt, not much elongated at distal end. |
unranked, long and tapering, leaves greatly elongate at distal end. |
Branch leaves | ovate; usually less than 1.5 mm; stiff and slightly reflexed, straight to slightly subsecund; margins entire; hyaline cells moderately long and narrow (6–8:1), convex surface with one small round pore per cell at apex and numerous pseudopores on the margin, concave surface with large round wall thinnings in the cell angles and ends; chlorophyllous cells triangular in transverse section, with apex reaching concave surface. |
ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate in aquatic forms, ovate to ovate-lanceolate in emergent forms, greater than 2.5 mm, often falcate-secund, especially in submerged forms, weakly undulate and recurved when dry; margin entire, hyaline cells on convex surface with 0–1 pores per cell, concave surface with round wall thinnings in the cell apices and angles; chlorophyllous cells narrowly triangular in transverse section and well-enclosed on the concave surface. |
Sexual condition | unknown. |
dioicous. |
Spores | not seen. |
|
Branch | fascicles with 2 spreading and 2–3 pendent branches.; branch stems green, with cortex enlarged with retort cells. |
fascicles with 2 spreading and 2 pendent branches.; branch stem green, cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells. |
Sporophytes | not seen. |
|
Sphagnum lenense |
Sphagnum atlanticum |
|
Habitat | Common forming hummocks and carpets in a variety of weakly minerotrophic to ombrotrophic mires including Eriophorum tussock fens, dwarf shrub fens, polygon peatlands, string mires and raised bogs | Forming loose carpets in pools in weakly minerotrophic fens |
Elevation | low to moderate elevations | low elevations |
Distribution |
AK; NF; NT; NU; QC; YT; Greenland; Eurasia |
CT; DE; MA; MD; ME; NC; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; VA; VT; NB; NF; NS |
Discussion | Sporophytes are rare in Sphagnum lenense. This species is easily distinguished from the similar S. lindbergii by its compact growth form and reddish brown color. Sphagnum lenense also is a hummock former in the tundra whereas S. lindbergii forms carpets. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Sporophytes of Sphagnum atlanticum are rare. The other large North American Atlantic coastal plain species of sect. Cuspidata, S. torreyanum, is typically more yellow, has a more rounded capitulum, and has straight rather than subsecund branch leaves. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 70. | FNA vol. 27, p. 65. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. lindbergii var. microphyllum | |
Name authority | Pohle: Trudy Glavn. Bot. Sada 33: 14. (1915) | R. E. Andrus: Bryologist 110: 274, figs. (2007) |
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