Sphagnum mirum |
Sphagnum papillosum |
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fat peat-moss, papillose sphagnum |
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Habit | Plants fairly slender to moderate-sized, green; forming low dense hummocks. | Plants moderate-sized to fairly robust; strong-stemmed and generally compact, capitulum usually not much enlarged; greenish brown to deep golden brown; forming compact carpets in floating mats and depressions as well as dense stands on hummock sides and low hummocks. |
Stem(s) | leaves generally longer than branch leaves, 1.1–1.7 mm, lingulate to lingulate-spathulate, hyaline cells mostly non-septate. |
leaves to 1.3 × 0.7 mm; rarely hemiisophyllous; hyaline cells non-ornamented, mostly septate. |
Branches | terete. |
generally short and blunt, leaves spreading. |
Branch leaves | 1–1.4 mm, broadly ovate, with a narrow involute tip; hyaline cells only slightly bulging on either surface, in proximal half of leaf aporose on convex surface and with large faint pores on concave surface; internal commissural walls distinctly papillose; chlorophyllous cells elliptical to elliptical-triangular in transverse section, enclosed on both surfaces with the widest part in the leaf middle. |
broadly ovate, 1.7 × 1 mm; hyaline cells on convex surface with round to elliptic pores along the commissures, hyaline cell walls covered with papillae where overlying chlorophyllous cells; chlorophyllous cells trapezoidal to truncate-elliptic in transverse section, equally exposed on both surfaces or less exposed on convex surface, end walls thickened. |
Sexual condition | dioicous. |
dioicous. |
Capsule | with numerous pseudostomata. |
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Spores | ca. 31 µm, ornamented by small somewhat amalgamated granulae. |
26–36 µm; more roughly papillose on distal surface than proximal surface, distinct raised, bifurcated-Y mark sculpture on distal surface; proximal laesura 0.5 spore radius or more. |
Branch | fascicles of 2 spreading and 1–2 hanging branches.; branch stems with 1–2 layers of cortical cells. |
fascicles with 2 spreading and 2–3 pendent branches.; branch stems with hyaline cells non-ornamented, no or weak funnel-like projections on the interior end walls, mostly with 1 pore per cell on superficial cell wall. |
Sphagnum mirum |
Sphagnum papillosum |
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Phenology | Sporophytes abundant, capsules mature August. | Capsules mature mid to late summer. |
Habitat | Ecology poorly known but probably quite minerotrophic | Very common in very poor to poor fen mire habitats where it is often a major peat former, but scarce to absent in truly ombrotrophic peatlands sites |
Elevation | low elevations | low to moderate elevations |
Distribution |
AK |
AK; CA; CT; DE; IL; IN; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; SC; VT; WA; WI; WV; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; YT; Eurasia
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Discussion | Sphagnum mirum has only been recently discovered and so far is known only from its type locality, where it was growing in a fen mixed with S. teres. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Sphagnum papillosum is often easily field-identifiable by its rich golden brown to dark brown color and short, blunt branches. Nearly all specimens have the papillae on the branch leaf chorophyll cells but a few smooth forms have been found. Such forms will have stem leaves with divided hyaline cells whereas in the confusable species S. palustre and S. centrale such cells are rare or absent. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 58. | FNA vol. 27, p. 53. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. cymbifolium var. papillosum, S. papillosum var. laeve, S. papillosum var. sublaeve, S. waghornei | |
Name authority | Flatberg & Thingsgaard: Bryologist 106: 501. (2003) | Lindberg: Acta Soc. Sci. Fenn. 10: 280. (1872) |
Web links |