Sphagnum magellanicum |
Sphagnum pacificum |
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Magellan's sphagnum, magellanic peat-moss |
Pacific sphagnum |
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Habit | Plants moderate-sized to robust, somewhat lax in shade forms to quite compact and stiff in open grown forms; green to pinkish green to reddish purple; forms lawns in shaded habitats and low to moderately tall, dense hummocks in open habitats. | Plants moderate-sized and fairly strong-stemmed; green, yellow to yellowish brown; capitulum 5radiate in shade forms to hemispherical in open grown or drier growing forms. |
Stem(s) | leaves to 2 × 0.7 mm; rarely hemiisophyllous; hyaline cells non-ornamented, mostly nonseptate. |
leaves triangular to lingulate-triangular, 0.8–1.3 mm; typically appressed; apex acute to apiculate; hyaline cells efibrillose and nonseptate to rarely septate. |
Branches | long and tapering to short and pointed, leaves loosely imbricate. |
straight and somewhat tapered, usually 5-ranked; leaves little elongate at the distal branch end. |
Branch leaves | broadly ovate, to 2 × 1 mm or more wide, broadly ovate, hyaline cells non-ornamented, convex surface with round to elliptic pores along the commissures; chlorophyllous cells short-elliptic in transverse section and well-enclosed on both surfaces. |
ovate to narrowly ovate-lanceolate; (1.1–)1.4–1.8(–3.1) mm; slightly undulate and sharply recurved when dry, somewhat subsecund; margins entire; hyaline cells on convex surface with usually 1 round pore on apical end, on concave surface with wall thinnings in the cell ends and angles; chlorophyllous cells broadly triangular in transverse section and very deeply enclosed on the concave surface. |
Sexual condition | dioicous. |
dioicous. |
Capsule | with numerous pseudostomata. |
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Spores | 22–30 µm; roughly papillose to nearly smooth, with distinct Y-mark sculpture on distal surface; proximal laesura 0.5–0.8 spore radius. |
19–25 µm; finely papillose on both surfaces. |
Branch | fascicles with 2–3 spreading and 2–3 pendent branches.; branch stems with hyaline cells non-ornamented; no or weak funnel-like projections on the interior end walls, large round pores on superficial cell walls. |
fascicles with 2 spreading and 2–3 pendent branches.; branch stems green but often reddish at proximal end, with cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells. |
Sphagnum magellanicum |
Sphagnum pacificum |
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Phenology | Capsules mature mid summer. | |
Habitat | Ecological amplitude very wide, ombrotrophic to rich fen peatlands, forested and open mires | Forested and open poor fen habitats, often as a ruderal species in extensive mats |
Elevation | low to high elevations | low to moderate elevations |
Distribution |
AK; AL; AR; CA; CT; DE; FL; GA; ID; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; South America; Eurasia
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AK; OR; WA; BC |
Discussion | As the only boreal species of the section with a reddish purple color, Sphagnum magellanicum is usually easy to identify. The branch leaf chlorophyll cells are capable of being confused only with those of S. alaskense, which are less enclosed on both surfaces, and S. centrale, which has thickened end walls on the chlorophyll cells that give them a narrow exposure on the concave surface. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Sporophytes in Sphagnum pacificum are uncommon. See discussion under 26. S. brevifolium. Characters of the spores are taken from Flatberg’s description. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 52. | FNA vol. 27, p. 74. |
Parent taxa | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Sphagnum | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Cuspidata |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Bridel: Muscol. Recent. 2(1): 24. (1798) | Flatberg: Bryologist 92: 116, figs. 1–20. (1989) |
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