Sphagnum rubellum |
Sphagnum papillosum |
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sphagnum |
fat peat-moss, papillose sphagnum |
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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 moderate-sized to fairly robust; strong-stemmed and generally compact, capitulum usually not much enlarged; greenish brown to deep golden brown; forming compact carpets in floating mats and depressions as well as dense stands on hummock sides and low hummocks. |
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 to 1.3 × 0.7 mm; rarely hemiisophyllous; hyaline cells non-ornamented, mostly septate. |
Branches | weakly to strongly 5-ranked. |
generally short and blunt, leaves spreading. |
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. |
broadly ovate, 1.7 × 1 mm; hyaline cells on convex surface with round to elliptic pores along the commissures, hyaline cell walls covered with papillae where overlying chlorophyllous cells; chlorophyllous cells trapezoidal to truncate-elliptic in transverse section, equally exposed on both surfaces or less exposed on convex surface, end walls thickened. |
Sexual condition | dioicous. |
dioicous. |
Capsule | with numerous pseudostomata. |
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Spores | 18–33 µm, coarsely papillose on both surfaces; proximal laesura less than 0.4 spore radius. |
26–36 µm; more roughly papillose on distal surface than proximal surface, distinct raised, bifurcated-Y mark sculpture on distal surface; proximal laesura 0.5 spore radius or more. |
Branch | fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches. |
fascicles with 2 spreading and 2–3 pendent branches.; branch stems with hyaline cells non-ornamented, no or weak funnel-like projections on the interior end walls, mostly with 1 pore per cell on superficial cell wall. |
Sphagnum rubellum |
Sphagnum papillosum |
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Phenology | Capsules mature mid summer. | Capsules mature mid to late summer. |
Habitat | Poor fens and ombrotrophic mires, forming extensive carpets and hummocks | Very common in very poor to poor fen mire habitats where it is often a major peat former, but scarce to absent in truly ombrotrophic peatlands sites |
Elevation | low to high elevations | low to moderate elevations |
Distribution |
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
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AK; CA; CT; DE; IL; IN; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; SC; VT; WA; WI; WV; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; YT; Eurasia
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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.) |
Sphagnum papillosum is often easily field-identifiable by its rich golden brown to dark brown color and short, blunt branches. Nearly all specimens have the papillae on the branch leaf chorophyll cells but a few smooth forms have been found. Such forms will have stem leaves with divided hyaline cells whereas in the confusable species S. palustre and S. centrale such cells are rare or absent. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 96. | FNA vol. 27, p. 53. |
Parent taxa | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Acutifolia | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Sphagnum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. acutifolium var. tenellum, S. capillaceum var. tenellum, S. capillifolium var. tenellum | S. cymbifolium var. papillosum, S. papillosum var. laeve, S. papillosum var. sublaeve, S. waghornei |
Name authority | Wilson: Bryol. Brit., 19. (1855) | Lindberg: Acta Soc. Sci. Fenn. 10: 280. (1872) |
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