Sphagnum palustre |
Sphagnum torreyanum |
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blunt-leaf bogmoss, blunt-leaf peat-moss, prairie sphagnum |
Torrey's sphagnum |
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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 robust and weak-stemmed; green to golden yellow; capitulum ± rounded in emergent forms, flat in submersed forms; lacking distinct terminal bud. |
Stem(s) | leaves to 1.7 × 1 mm, occasionally longer; rarely hemiisophyllous; hyaline cells non-ornamented, nonseptate. |
leaves triangular, 1–1.7 mm, apex acute to slightly obtuse; leaves usually appressed; margins entire; hyaline cells fibrillose and usually septate at base and sides. |
Branches | long and tapering, leaves ± imbricate to spreading in shade forms. |
unranked, long and tapering, leaves greatly elongated at distal end. |
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-lanceolate to lanceolate, 3–5.5 mm; straight but sometimes slightly falcate-secund; weakly undulate and recurved when dry; margins entire; hyaline cells on convex surface with 0–1 pore per cell, on concave surface with round wall thinnings on the apices and angles; chlorophyllous cells narrowly triangular in transverse section and just enclosed on the concave surface. |
Sexual condition | dioicous. |
dioicous. |
Capsule | with numerous pseudostomata. |
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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. |
26–29 µm; both surfaces distinctly papillose, appearing pusticulate to irregularly pusticulate; proximal laesura mostly 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. |
fascicles with 2 spreading and 2 pendent branches.; branch stems green; cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells. |
Sphagnum palustre |
Sphagnum torreyanum |
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Phenology | Capsules mature mid to late summer. | |
Habitat | Widespread in forested fens and poor to rich sedge fens | Forming wet often floating carpets in weakly minerotrophic mires |
Elevation | low to moderate elevations | low to moderate elevations |
Distribution |
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
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AL; CT; DE; FL; GA; LA; MA; MD; ME; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; SC; VA; VT; NB; NF; NS; QC; St Pierre and Miquelon (Miquelon) |
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.) |
Sporophytes are uncommon in Sphagnum torreyanum. See discussion under 24. S. atlanticum for taxonomic distinctions. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 53. | FNA vol. 27, p. 77. |
Parent taxa | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Sphagnum | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Cuspidata |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. cymbifolium | S. cuspidatum var. torreyi, S. cuspidatum var. miquelonense, S. kearneyi, S. laxifolium var. miquelonense |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1106. (1753) | Sullivant: Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, n. s. 4: 174. (1849) |
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