Sphagnum lindbergii |
Sphagnum compactum |
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brown-stem peat-moss, Lindberg's sphagnum |
compact peat-moss, low sphagnum |
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Habit | Plants moderate-sized to large, moderately densely branched; green to brown, often bluish tinged and/or shiny when dry; capitulum flattopped with a conspicuous terminal bud. | 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 lingulate-spatulate, large, 1.3–1.6 mm; appressed to stem; apex very broad and lacerate; hyaline cells efibrillose and aporose, often septate. |
leaves small, 0.3–0.7 mm, triangular-lingulate with broad rounded apex, Branches short, crowded, and unranked. |
Branches | strongly 5-ranked and straight. |
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Branch leaves | ovate-lanceolate, 1.5–3 mm; straight to slightly subsecund; imbricate to somewhat reflexed and not undulate; margins entire; hyaline cells long and narrow, length to width ca. 10:1 on convex surface with 1 or more small pores in the cell ends and angles and often with numerous pseudopores along the margins, on concave surface with large round wall thinnings on the cell ends and angles; chlorophyllous cells triangular to trapezoidal in transverse section, apex often exposed on 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 | monoicous or dioicous. |
monoicous. |
Capsule | with abundant pseudostomata. |
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Spores | 22–34 µm; both surfaces smooth, apparent ridged border on proximal surface; proximal laesura more than 0.5 spore radius. |
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 pendent branches, leaves not much elongated at distal end.; branch stems green, with cortex enlarged with retort cells. |
fascicles 4–6 branches per fascicle, 2–3 spreading and 2–3 pendent, but plants frequently unbranched in young clones. |
Sphagnum lindbergii |
Sphagnum compactum |
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Phenology | Capsules fairly common, mature summer. | |
Habitat | Widespread forming carpets in ombrotrophic to weakly minerotrophic boreal mires | Ombrotrophic to weakly minerotrophic, commonly growing on poorly drained sand, siliceous rocks, bare peat |
Elevation | low to high elevations | low to high elevations |
Distribution |
AK; CO; NH; NY; WA; AB; BC; MB; NF; NS; NT; NU; ON; QC; YT; Greenland; Eurasia |
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. Sphagnum lindbergii is normally easily distinguished from other carpet-forming species of sect. Cuspidata by its large, strongly lacerate stem leaf and dark brown to black stem. Sexual condition is taken from from L. I. Savicz-Lubitzkaya and Z. N. Smirnova (1968). (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. 70. | FNA vol. 27, p. 56. |
Parent taxa | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Cuspidata | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Rigida |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. compactum var. imbricatum, S. rigidum | |
Name authority | Schimper: Öfvers. Kongl. Vetensk.-Akad. Förh. 14: 126. (1857) | Lamarck & de Candolle: Fl. Franç. ed. 3, 2: 443. (1805) |
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