Sphagnum magellanicum |
Sphagnum fallax |
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Magellan's sphagnum, magellanic peat-moss |
flat-top bogmoss, 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, fairly stiff-stemmed; green, brownish green, pale yellow, golden yellow, yellow and brown; capitulum hemispherical and not 5-radiate to somewhat 5-radiate in shade-grown or wet-grown forms. |
Stem(s) | leaves to 2 × 0.7 mm; rarely hemiisophyllous; hyaline cells non-ornamented, mostly nonseptate. |
leaves triangular to lingulate-triangular, 0.8–1.2 mm, mostly appressed to the stem, apex acute to apiculate, hyaline cells mostly efibrillose and nonseptate. |
Branches | long and tapering to short and pointed, leaves loosely imbricate. |
straight, mostly unranked, but can be 5-ranked in wet-growing forms, leaves little elongated at distal branch ends. |
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-lanceolate, greater than 1.2 mm, straight, undulate and sharply recurved when dry, margins entire; hyaline cells on convex surface with usually 1 round pore per cell at apical end, on concave side with round wall thinnings in the cell ends and angles; chlorophyllous cells triangular and just reaching or slightly enclosed within 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. |
25–31 µm; proximal surface finely papillose, distal surface pusticulate with bifurcated Y-mark sculpture; proximal laesura less than 0.5 spore radius. |
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 proximal end sometimes red, with cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells. |
Sphagnum magellanicum |
Sphagnum fallax |
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Phenology | Capsules mature mid summer. | |
Habitat | Ecological amplitude very wide, ombrotrophic to rich fen peatlands, forested and open mires | Widespread in poor fen habitats, often as a pioneer species in extensive mats, occasionally in ombrotrophic mires at hummock bases |
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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CT; DE; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; TN; VA; VT; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; Europe
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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.) |
Sphagnum fallax can be distinguished from the closely related S. isoviitae by its sharply recurved branch leaves, as opposed to the leaves of the latter only slightly reflexed at their tips. See also discussion under 26. S. brevifolium and 46. S. splendens. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 52. | FNA vol. 27, p. 67. |
Parent taxa | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Sphagnum | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Cuspidata |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. cuspidatum var. fallax, S. apiculatum, S. flexuosum var. fallax, S. mucronatum, S. recurvum var. brevifolium, S. recurvum var. fallax, S. recurvum subsp. mucronatum | |
Name authority | Bridel: Muscol. Recent. 2(1): 24. (1798) | (H. Klinggräff) H. Klinggräff: Vers. Topogr. Fl. Westpreuss., 128. (1880) |
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