Sphagnum riparium |
Sphagnum quinquefarium |
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cleft peat-moss, streamside sphagnum |
five-rank peat-moss, 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 moderate-sized, typically stiff and compact, capitulum usually hemispherical; green, grayish white, pale yellow, purplish red, may have a slight metallic luster when dry. |
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 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. |
Branches | unranked to rarely 5-ranked, branch leaves only weakly undulate, but sharply recurved at the apex, leaves not much elongated at distal end. |
usually strongly 5-ranked. |
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 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. |
Sexual condition | dioicous. |
monoicous or 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. |
19–27 µm, finely papillose on proximal surface, pusticulate on distal surface; proximal laesura less than 0.4 spore radius. |
Branch | fascicles with 2 spreading and 2 pendent branches.; branch stem green, cortex enlarged with retort cells. |
fascicles with mostly 3 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches. |
Sphagnum riparium |
Sphagnum quinquefarium |
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Phenology | Capsules mature mid summer. | |
Habitat | Forming often extensive carpets in weakly minerotrophic mires | Weakly minerotrophic and hygrophytic, wet mineral bedrock, damp coniferous humus along coast and in montane regions |
Elevation | low to moderate elevations | low to high 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 |
AK; CT; GA; MA; MD; ME; MN; NC; NH; NY; PA; TN; VA; VT; WV; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; QC; Eurasia |
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.) |
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.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 75. | FNA vol. 27, p. 96. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. acutifolium var. quinquefarium, S. schofieldii | |
Name authority | Ångström: Öfvers. Kongl. Vetensk.-Akad. Förh. 21: 198. (1864) | (Lindberg) Warnstorf: Hedwigia 25: 222. (1886) |
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