Sphagnum rubroflexuosum |
Sphagnum trinitense |
|
---|---|---|
sphagnum |
Trinity sphagnum |
|
Habit | Plants small, soft, fairly weak-stemmed; pale green to pale yellow brown; capitulum not 5-radiate or only weakly so, may be tinged with red; loose to somewhat compact. | Plants moderate-sized, slender and weak-stemmed, green to pale yellow; flaccid and plumose in aquatic forms to more compact and sprawling in emergent forms; green to pale yellow; capitulum not especially enlarged and differentiated. |
Stem(s) | leaves 0.7–1 mm (to 1.2 mm in hemiisophyllous forms) elongate-triangular to triangular-lingulate, apex obtuse-erose, to apiculate; usually fibrillose at least apically; in hemiisophyllous forms spreading and in anisophyllous forms appressed; hyaline cells often septate at base. |
leaves ovate-triangular to triangular, 1–1.6 mm; appressed to spreading; apex acute to slightly obtuse; hyaline cells often fibrillose and often 1-septate. |
Branches | moderately long and tapering, unranked to weakly 5-ranked, leaves not much elongated at distal end. |
straight and unranked, in capitulum tapering at distal end to a point, leaves greatly elongated at distal end. |
Branch leaves | 1–1.7 mm, ovate-lanceolate, undulate and recurved when dry; hyaline cells on convex surface with 3–10 round pores per cell in the cell angles and free, on concave surface with round wall thinnings in the ends and angles. |
ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, 2–3.5 mm; straight, undulate and slightly recurved when dry; margin serrulate; hyaline cells on convex surface with 0–1 small pores at cell apex on concave surface with round wall thinnings in cell angles (often indistinct or lacking); chlorophyllous cells trapezoidal in transverse section and exposed more broadly on the convex surface. |
Sexual condition | unknown. |
monoicous. |
Spores | not seen. |
26–40 µm; ± roughly to densely granulose. |
Branch | fascicles with 2 spreading and 2–3 pendent branches.; branch stem cortex enlarged and with conspicuous retort cells. |
stems green, cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells. |
Sphagnum rubroflexuosum |
Sphagnum trinitense |
|
Phenology | Capsules mature early to mid summer. | |
Habitat | Forming carpets in weakly minerotrophic fens | Submersed or stranded at edge of shallow, acidic pond, lakes, and roadside ditches, mostly in sandy areas of the Atlantic coastal plain |
Elevation | moderate elevations | low to moderate elevations |
Distribution |
MD; PA |
DE; FL; GA; IL; KS; LA; MA; MD; NC; NJ; NY; PA; SC; VA; South America |
Discussion | Sporophytes are unknown in Sphagnum rubroflexuosum. Compared to the closely related S. flexuosum, this species is paler and may have a reddish stem. Otherwise, identification must be made microscopically on the basis of branch leaf porosity. Although we have not seen this species in the field, it should be separable from S. majus, the only other large, aquatic species of sect. Cuspidata, in its range by traits of stem leaves and its color. Sphagnum majus is also typically a much darker brown. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Sporophytes are common in Sphagnum trinitense, which can often be distinguished from S. cuspidatum in the field by the appearance of its branches when wet. In this state the branches of S. trinitense just below the capitulum resemble a fine paintbrush drawn out to a pointed tip. See also discussion under 29. S. fitzgeraldii and 39. S. mississippiense. Spore features are taken from H. A. Crum (1984). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 76. | FNA vol. 27, p. 77. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. cuspidatum var. serratum, S. cuspidatum var. serrulatum, S. helleri, S. laxifolium var. serrulatum, S. serratum | |
Name authority | R. E. Andrus: Bryologist 91: 364, figs. 1–8. (1988) | Müller Hal.: Syn. Musc. Frond. 1: 102. (1848) |
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