Sphagnum riparium |
Sphagnum flexuosum |
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cleft peat-moss, streamside sphagnum |
sphagnum |
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Habit | Plants stiff and upright, large; green to pale green to brownish, capitulum large and flat, with a conspicuous terminal bud. | Plants small to moderate-sized, slender and soft, lax, moderately weak to moderately stiff-stemmed; green, pale yellowish green, yellowish brown, grayish brown or reddish brown; capitulum typically compact and twisted in the middle like a ball of yarn, spreading branches curved giving a pinwheel appearance. |
Stem(s) | leaves triangular-lingulate, 1.2–1.4 mm; apex with a deep lacerate split; hyaline cells aporose, efibrillose and often septate. |
leaves triangular-lingulate to lingulate, 0.7–1.3 mm, appressed to stem, apex obtuse to broadly obtuse and erose to somewhat lacerate, hyaline cells efibrillose and nonseptate. |
Branches | unranked to rarely 5-ranked, branch leaves only weakly undulate, but sharply recurved at the apex, leaves not much elongated at distal end. |
curved, unranked to less commonly (in wet-grown forms) 5-ranked, leaves not much elongate at distal end. |
Branch leaves | ovate-lanceolate; 2–2.6 mm; straight; weakly undulate but strongly recurved, hyaline cells on convex surface with very large irregular pores (formed from the confluence of several smaller pores) at the cell apex, concave surface with large round wall thinnings in the cell angles; chlorophyllous cells triangular to trapezoidal in transverse section, apex normally slightly exposed on concave surface. |
ovate-lanceolate to broadly ovate-lanceolate, 1.5–2.5 mm, strongly undulate and moderately recurved when dry, straight; margin entire; greater than hyaline cells on convex surface with 1–2 pores per cell at cell apex, on concave surface with round wall thinnings in the cell ends and angles; chlorophyllous cells triangular in transverse section and typically just slightly exposed on the concave surface. |
Sexual condition | dioicous. |
dioicous. |
Spores | 22–28 µm; proximal surface noticeably papillose, distal surface smooth or with fewer papillae; proximal laesura more than 0.5 the length of the radius. |
23–25 µm; moderately to coarsely papillose on both surfaces; proximal laesura approximately 0.5 spore radius. |
Branch | fascicles with 2 spreading and 2 pendent branches.; branch stem green, cortex enlarged with retort cells. |
fascicles with 2(–3) spreading and 2 pendent branches.; branch stems green but sometimes reddish at proximal end, with cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells. |
Sphagnum riparium |
Sphagnum flexuosum |
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Phenology | Sporophytes uncommon, capsules mature early to late summer. | |
Habitat | Forming often extensive carpets in weakly minerotrophic mires | Forming carpets in poor to medium fens, mostly sedge-fens and mire edge habitat |
Elevation | low to moderate elevations | low to moderate elevations |
Distribution |
AK; CT; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; VT; WA; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Greenland; Eurasia |
CT; IL; IN; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; TN; VT; WI; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; Europe
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Discussion | Sporophytes are uncommon in Sphagnum riparium. This species is typically very easily recognized in the field with its pale green color, strong terminal bud, and unranked branch leaves. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Of species in sect. Cuspidata with range and ecology similar to that of Sphagnum flexuosum, S. angustifolium and S. recurvum have rounded stem leaves. In S. angustifolium the stem leaves are more triangular and rarely erose while the branch leaves are narrower and more strongly 5-ranked. Sphagnum recurvum also has narrower and more 5-ranked branch leaves than does S. flexuosum, as well as a much more strongly differentiated stem cortex. In S. flexuosum the branch leaves are only slightly recurved whereas in S. recurvum they are sharply recurved. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 75. | FNA vol. 27, p. 68. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. amblyphyllum, S. fallax var. flexuosum, S. flexuosum var. ramosissimum, S. flexuosum var. recurvum, S. recurvum subsp. amblyphyllum, S. recurvum var. amblyphyllum | |
Name authority | Ångström: Öfvers. Kongl. Vetensk.-Akad. Förh. 21: 198. (1864) | Dozy & Molkenboer: in R. B. van den Bosch et al., Prodr. Fl. Bat. 2(1): 76. (1851) |
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