Sphagnum mendocinum
Sphagnum majus
Mendocino sphagnum
olive peat-moss, sphagnum
leaves broadly oblong-triangular, 1.2–1.5 mm; mostly appressed to stem;
apex obtuse;
hyaline cells narrow, usually nonseptate, efibrillose and aporose on convex surface near apex, on concave surface usually efibrillose with irregular pores along commissures in distal portion of leaf.
leaves triangular-lingulate, 0.8–1.4 mm, spreading to appressed;
apex acute to narrowly obtuse, hyaline cells nonseptate and fibrillose near apex.
with loosely imbricate leaves; often 5-ranked;
leaves little to somewhat elongated at distal end.
unranked or weakly 5-ranked, straight to strongly curved, leaves moderately elongated at distal end.
ovate, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate; 2–3.5 mm;
flat and undulate at margins and recurved at apex when dry; straight;
margins entire;
hyaline cells on concave surface with very numerous, small ringed or unringed pores along the commissures, 5–12 in distal portion of leaf and 20–27 in proximal portion, convex surface with 5–15 pores per cell in distal portion of leaf and 14–21 in proximal portion, pores usually without a ring; chlorophyllous cells triangular to trapezoidal in transverse section and exposed slightly on concave surface.
ovate-lanceolate to narrowly ovate-lanceolate, 1.8–3.4 mm; straight to strongly subsecund; weakly undulate and recurved when dry;
margins entire;
hyaline cells on convex surface with 1–2 free pores per fibril interval, concave surface aporose or rarely with a few wall thinnings in cell ends and angles; chlorophyllous cells trapezoidal in transverse section and narrowly exposed on concave surface.
dioicous.
dioicous.
ca. 30 µm;
very slightly roughened.
33–40 µm.
fascicles with 2 spreading and 2–3 pendent branches.;
branch stems green, with cortical cells in 1 layer with conspicuous necks.
fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.;
branch stems green but sometimes reddish at proximal end, with cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells.
Sphagnum mendocinum
Sphagnum majus
Sporophytes of Sphagnum mendocinum are uncommon. Although the unique branch leaf porosity makes it unmistakable microscopically, it may be confused with other species in the field. It is unusual ecologically in that it seems to overlap both the carpet- and lawn-forming habits—in other words it seems intermediate between S. recurvum and S. cuspidatum, in the broad sense. Among the species that it overlaps floristically, it is more robust and darker colored than S. pacificum. The latter also has an apiculate stem leaf compared to the more or less obtuse stem leaves of S. mendocinum. The more wet-growing S. majus var. majus and S. majus var. norvegicum, with which it slightly overlaps in habitat, have branch leaves that are strongly elongated at the distal branch ends whereas those of S. mendocinum are not. See also discussion under 40. S. obtusum. Sexual condition and spore characters are taken from from H. A. Crum (1984).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Branch leaf hyaline cells on convex leaf surface with 1-2 pores per fibril interval, these usually less than 1/3 the cell diameter. | subsp. majus |
1. Branch leaf hyaline cells on convex leaf surface with 1 pore per fibril interval, these more than 1/3 the cell diameter. | subsp. norvegicum |
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