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sphagnum

Anderson's sphagnum

Habit Plants small to moderate-sized, slender, fairly stiff but soft, capitulum flat-topped and stellate; deep maroon-red to variegated red and yellowish green, lacking metallic sheen when dry. Plants small, soft and slender; capitulum small; pale pink to pale purplish red; without metallic lustre when dry.
Stem(s)

leaves lingulate-triangular to lingulate, 1–1.4 mm, apex broadly rounded but becoming acute in hemiisophyllous forms, border strongly developed at base (more than 0.25 width);

hyaline cells rhombic and 0–3-septate with some cells in leaf midregion 2–septate.

leaves lingulate, 0.9–1.2(–1.4) mm, apex rounded-erose to sometimes slightly apiculate, border moderately strong and broadened at the base (to 0.8 the width);

hyaline cells rhombic, 0–1-septate, usually efibrillose.

Branches

weakly to strongly 5-ranked.

not or slightly 5-ranked, lax.

Branch leaves

ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 0.9–1.2 mm, concave, subsecund on some branches, apex involute;

hyaline cells on convex surface with numerous round to elliptic pores along the commissures, grading from small round pores near apex to round pores near base, on concave surface with large round pores in proximal portions of leaf.

ovate, 0.8–1.4 mm, distinctly concave, straight, apex dentate and involute;

border entire;

hyaline cells on convex surface with elliptic pores along the commissures, grading from smaller pores near the apex to larger pores at the base, concave surface with large round pores on the proximal portions of the leaf.

Sexual condition

dioicous.

dioicous.

Spores

18–33 µm, coarsely papillose on both surfaces;

proximal laesura less than 0.4 spore radius.

18–24 µm; coarsely papillose on both surfaces;

proximal laesura less than 0.5 the length of the spore radius.

Branch

fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.

fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.

Sphagnum rubellum

Sphagnum andersonianum

Phenology Capsules mature mid summer.
Habitat Poor fens and ombrotrophic mires, forming extensive carpets and hummocks Weakly minerotrophic
Elevation low to high elevations low to moderate elevations
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CT; IL; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; VT; WA; WI; BC; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; YT; Greenland; Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AK; CT; MA; ME; NH; NY; RI; VT; BC; NF; NS; QC; Europe
Discussion

Sporophytes are uncommon in Sphagnum rubellum. This common species is associated with S. angustifolium, S. capillifolium, S. fallax, S. fuscum, S. magellanicum, S. papillosum, S. recurvum, and S. tenellum. Inland, it has a greater tendency to form extensive carpets and floating mats than hummocks. See also discussion under 65. S. andersonianum, 68. S. bartlettianum, and 86. S. talbotianum.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Sporophytes are uncommon in Sphagnum andersonianum. Its distribution is uncertain due to past taxonomic confusion with S. rubellum, S. capillifolium, and other closely related species in sect. Acutifolia. This is one of the most hydrophytic species of the section and is often associated with S. angustifolium, S. fallax, and S. rubellum. It is often not easily distinguished from S. rubellum, with which it may intergrade in a manner similar to that already demonstrated for S. rubellum and S. capillifolium by N. Cronberg (1997, 1998). Phenotypically S. andersonianum is a softer, paler plant with branch leaves that are more ovate and concave on branches that are less 5-ranked. Sphagnum rubellum also has the branch leaves sometimes subsecund while in S. andersonianum they are straight. Ecologically S. rubellum is an open mire species of usually ombrotrophic conditions, where it often forms hummocks, while S. andersonianum occurs in more sheltered sites where there is some mineral influence. Where they occur together, S. rubellum is on the tops of hummocks and S. andersonianum is on the hummock sides and bases. Microscopically S. rubellum has stem leaves with at least some of the hyaline cells twice septate, while in S. andersonianum none are twice septate.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 96. FNA vol. 27, p. 88.
Parent taxa Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Acutifolia 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. palustre, S. papillosum, S. perfoliatum, S. perichaetiale, S. platyphyllum, S. portoricense, S. pulchrum, S. pylaesii, S. quinquefarium, S. recurvum, S. riparium, 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. 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. 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
Synonyms S. acutifolium var. tenellum, S. capillaceum var. tenellum, S. capillifolium var. tenellum
Name authority Wilson: Bryol. Brit., 19. (1855) R. E. Andrus: Bryologist 83: 60, figs. 1–7. (1980)
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