Sphagnum magellanicum |
Sphagnum steerei |
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Magellan's sphagnum, magellanic peat-moss |
steere's 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 to large, compact and stiff-stemmed with upswept branches; dark green and brown, dark chesnut brown, brown to blackish brown, often with bluish tinge when dry; forming dense low to moderately tall hummocks. |
Stem(s) | leaves to 2 × 0.7 mm; rarely hemiisophyllous; hyaline cells non-ornamented, mostly nonseptate. |
leaves to 1.2 × 0.8 mm; rarely hemiisophyllous; hyaline cells mostly nonseptate, comb-lamellae usually absent, but sometimes weak. |
Branches | long and tapering to short and pointed, leaves loosely imbricate. |
short and blunt-tipped, leaves spreading. |
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 ovate-elliptical, 1.6–2.2 × 1 mm; hyaline cells on proximal half of convex surface with round to elliptic pores along the commissures; comb-lamellae on hyaline cell wall where overlying chlorophyllous cells; chlorophyllous cells broadly triangular in transverse section and well-enclosed on convex surface, end wall not thickened. |
Sexual condition | dioicous. |
dioicous. |
Capsule | with numerous pseudostomata. |
unknown. |
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. |
unknown. |
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 1 pendent branch.; branch stems with hyaline cells non-ornamented, no or weak funnel-like projections on the end walls of cortical cells, cortical cell walls usually with large round pores. |
Sphagnum magellanicum |
Sphagnum steerei |
|
Phenology | Capsules mature mid summer. | |
Habitat | Ecological amplitude very wide, ombrotrophic to rich fen peatlands, forested and open mires | Commonly in firm-bottomed poor to medium fen vegetation, subarctic to arctic regions |
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; MB; NT; NU; QC; YT; e Asia |
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 steerei is usually easily recognized in the field by its dense growth habit and dark brown color. Its ecology is somewhat unclear due to taxonomic confusion with S. imbricatum in the strict sense and S. austinii (R. E. Andrus 1987). The latter is the only species in the imbricatum complex that occurs where S. steerei does. Contrary to the view of H. A. Crum (1997), S. steerei is quite distinct from S. affine and S. austinii. There is no range overlap with either of those species and the macroscopic appearance is also quite different. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 52. | FNA vol. 27, p. 54. |
Parent taxa | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Sphagnum | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Sphagnum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. imbricatum var. arcticum | |
Name authority | Bridel: Muscol. Recent. 2(1): 24. (1798) | R. E. Andrus: Bryologist 90: 218. (1987) |
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