Sphagnum quinquefarium
Sphagnum russowii
five-rank peat-moss, sphagnum
Russow's peat-moss, Russow's sphagnum
leaves triangular to triangular-lingulate, 1–1.3 mm, apex acute to slightly obtuse, border broad at base (more than 0.25 width);
hyaline cells narrowly rhomboid, mostly 0–1-septate and mostly efibrillose.
leaves lingulate, 1.3–1.6 mm, apex broadly rounded or pointed and notched (sometimes denticulate), border strong and broadened at base (more than 0.25 width);
hyaline cells short sinuoid-rhombic, mostly efibrillose, 0–1(–2)-septate.
usually strongly 5-ranked.
long and slender, never 5-ranked.
ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 1.1–1.5 mm, concave, straight, apex slightly involute;
hyaline cells on convex surface with numerous oval to elliptic pores along commissures grading from small pores near apex to large round pores at base, concave surface with large round pores in proximal portions of leaf.
ovate-lanceolate, 1.3–1.6 mm, concave, straight, apex strongly involute;
hyaline cells on convex surface with numerous round to elliptic pores along the commissures, grading from small round pores near the apex to large elliptic pores at the base, concave surface usually with large round pores throughout, but sometimes restricted to proximal portions of leaf.
monoicous or dioicous.
dioicous, but some specimens apparently monoicous.
19–27 µm, finely papillose on proximal surface, pusticulate on distal surface;
proximal laesura less than 0.4 spore radius.
18–33 µm, coarsely papillose on both surfaces;
proximal laesura more than 0.5 spore radius.
fascicles with mostly 3 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.
fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.
Sphagnum quinquefarium
Sphagnum russowii
Sporophytes are common in Sphagnum quinquefarium. This species is usually associated with S. capillifolium, S. girgensohnii, and S. russowii. No other species of sect. Acutifolia has the combination of quinquefarious branch leaves and three spreading branches per fascicle. Sphagnum rubiginosum has three spreading branches but the branch leaves are quite unranked and its lingulate stem leaf is quite distinct from the triangular stem leaf of S. quinquefarium. See also discussion under 86. S. talbotianum.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Sporophytes are uncommon in Sphagnum russowii. This species is associated with S. centrale, S. fallax, S. fimbriatum, S. girgensohnii, and S. squarrosum. Because of its not particularly distinct phenotype as well its strong tendency to produce hemiisophyllous stem leaves, S. russowii is probably the most frequently misidentified Sphagnum species. The combination of the flat, stellate capitulum, unranked branch leaves, and lingulate stem leaf will usually suffice to identify it. Sphagnum capillifolium has a rounded capitulum and a pointed stem leaf while S. subtile also has a rounded capitulum but a shorter and more triangular stem leaf. In montane and arctic mires it can be confused with S. warnstorfii but the latter usually has conspicuously 5-ranked branch leaves. As one might expect in such a widespread and common species, the characters can vary considerably. For example, one regularly finds plants that are consistent in every respect with the description except that they lack stem cortical pores. Some stem leaves have almost no septations in the hyaline cells while other forms have most of the cells septate. As with similar variation in the likewise common S. fuscum, there is no consistent pattern and so taxonomic recognition of the variants is unwarranted.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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