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blunt-leaf bogmoss, blunt-leaf peat-moss, prairie sphagnum

fringe bogmoss, fringe peat-moss, sphagnum

Habit Plants moderate-sized to robust, strong-stemmed, lax to somewhat compact, capitulum somewhat flattened to more typically compact and rounded; green to golden brown to pale brown with often a pinkish tinge; carpets to more or less compact, low to moderate sized hummocks. Plants typically small and slender, larger and compact in the Arctic, capitulum small to moderate-sized, often with a conspicuous terminal bud; green, yellowish brown to brown; without metallic lustre when dry.
Stem(s)

leaves to 1.7 × 1 mm, occasionally longer; rarely hemiisophyllous;

hyaline cells non-ornamented, nonseptate.

leaves spatulate to broad-spatulate, 0.8–1.5(–2) mm, strongly lacerate across the broad apex and often part way down the margins, border scarcely to strongly broadened at base (0.25 width of base or less);

hyaline cells rhomboid, efibrillose and often 1–2-septate.

Branches

long and tapering, leaves ± imbricate to spreading in shade forms.

not 5-ranked, quite terete, long, and slender Branch fascicles with 1– 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.

Branch leaves

broadly ovate, 2.2 × 1.3 mm, hyaline cells non-ornamented, convex surface with elliptic pores along the commissures, chlorophyllous cells isosceles-triangular to ovate-triangular in transverse section and just enclosed to just exposed on the convex surface;

end wall not thickened.

ovate to ovate-lanceolate; 1.1–1.5(–2) mm, slightly concave, straight;

apex involute;

margins entire;

hyaline cells on convex surface with numerous pores along the commissures grading from small pores near leaf apex to large pores at base, concave surface with large round pores at leaf apex and along margins.

Sexual condition

dioicous.

often monoicous.

Capsule

with numerous pseudostomata.

Spores

24–33 µm, surface finely papillose to smooth, distal surface with distinct bifurcated Y-mark sculpture;

proximal laesura more than 0.6 spore radius.

20–27 µm, finely papillose on both surfaces;

proximal laesura less than 0.5 spore radius.

Branch

fascicles with 2 spreading and 2 pendent branches.;

branch stems with hyaline cells non-ornamented;

no or weak funnel-like projections on the interior end walls, often with 1 large pore per cell on superficial cell walls.

Sphagnum palustre

Sphagnum fimbriatum

Phenology Capsules mature mid to late summer.
Habitat Widespread in forested fens and poor to rich sedge fens
Elevation low to moderate elevations
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CT; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; Europe; Pacific Islands
[WildflowerSearch map]
from USDA
North America; South America; Eurasia; Pacific Islands (New Zealand)
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Sphagnum palustre may occur elsewhere than listed above, but the taxonomy is unclear. In some open-grown situations, it may have a reddish tinge and seem similar to S. magellanicum, but this is a pinkish red color rather than the purplish red of the latter. See discussions under 5. S. henryense and 9. S. papillosum for distinction from those species.

(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.)

Key
1. Plants small and slender, capitulum small and with a conspicuous terminal bud; stem leaves fimbriate down the sides and weakly to moderately bordered at the base
subsp. fimbriatum
1. Plants moderate-sized and compact, capitulum moderate sized and lacking a conspicuous terminal bud; stem leaves entire down the sides and strongly bordered at the base
subsp. concinnum
Source FNA vol. 27, p. 53. FNA vol. 27, p. 92.
Parent taxa Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Sphagnum Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Acutifolia
Sibling taxa
S. affine, S. alaskense, S. andersonianum, S. angermanicum, S. angustifolium, S. annulatum, S. aongstroemii, S. arcticum, S. atlanticum, S. austinii, S. balticum, S. bartlettianum, S. beothuk, S. bergianum, S. brevifolium, S. capillifolium, S. carolinianum, S. centrale, S. compactum, S. contortum, S. cribrosum, S. cuspidatum, S. cyclophyllum, S. fallax, S. fimbriatum, S. fitzgeraldii, S. flavicomans, S. flexuosum, S. fuscum, S. girgensohnii, S. henryense, S. imbricatum, S. inexspectatum, S. inundatum, S. isoviitae, S. jensenii, S. junghuhnianum, S. kenaiense, S. lenense, S. lescurii, S. lindbergii, S. macrophyllum, S. magellanicum, S. majus, S. mcqueenii, S. mendocinum, S. microcarpum, S. mirum, S. mississippiense, S. molle, S. obtusum, S. oregonense, S. orientale, S. pacificum, S. papillosum, S. perfoliatum, S. perichaetiale, S. platyphyllum, S. portoricense, S. pulchrum, S. pylaesii, S. quinquefarium, S. recurvum, S. riparium, S. rubellum, S. rubiginosum, S. rubroflexuosum, S. russowii, S. sitchense, S. splendens, S. squarrosum, S. steerei, S. strictum, S. subfulvum, S. subnitens, S. subsecundum, S. subtile, S. talbotianum, S. tenellum, S. tenerum, S. teres, S. torreyanum, S. trinitense, S. tundrae, S. viride, S. warnstorfii, S. wilfii, S. wulfianum
S. affine, S. alaskense, S. andersonianum, S. angermanicum, S. angustifolium, S. annulatum, S. aongstroemii, S. arcticum, S. atlanticum, S. austinii, S. balticum, S. bartlettianum, S. beothuk, S. bergianum, S. brevifolium, S. capillifolium, S. carolinianum, S. centrale, S. compactum, S. contortum, S. cribrosum, S. cuspidatum, S. cyclophyllum, S. fallax, S. fitzgeraldii, S. flavicomans, S. flexuosum, S. fuscum, S. girgensohnii, S. henryense, S. imbricatum, S. inexspectatum, S. inundatum, S. isoviitae, S. jensenii, S. junghuhnianum, S. kenaiense, S. lenense, S. lescurii, S. lindbergii, S. macrophyllum, S. magellanicum, S. majus, S. mcqueenii, S. mendocinum, S. microcarpum, S. mirum, S. mississippiense, S. molle, S. obtusum, S. oregonense, S. orientale, S. pacificum, S. palustre, S. papillosum, S. perfoliatum, S. perichaetiale, S. platyphyllum, S. portoricense, S. pulchrum, S. pylaesii, S. quinquefarium, S. recurvum, S. riparium, S. rubellum, S. rubiginosum, S. rubroflexuosum, S. russowii, S. sitchense, S. splendens, S. squarrosum, S. steerei, S. strictum, S. subfulvum, S. subnitens, S. subsecundum, S. subtile, S. talbotianum, S. tenellum, S. tenerum, S. teres, S. torreyanum, S. trinitense, S. tundrae, S. viride, S. warnstorfii, S. wilfii, S. wulfianum
Subordinate taxa
S. fimbriatum subsp. concinnum, S. fimbriatum subsp. fimbriatum
Synonyms S. cymbifolium
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1106. (1753) Wilson & Hooker: in J. D. Hooker, Fl. Antarct., 398. (1847)
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