Sphagnum subsecundum |
Sphagnum arcticum |
|
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cow-horn peat-moss, sphagnum |
arctic sphagnum |
|
Habit | Plants small, slender, often wiry; green, yellow-brown or golden brown; capitulum small with terminal bud absent. | Plants moderately robust, capitulum distinct and flat-topped; golden brown, brown or dark-brown, less commonly variegated green and brown, without metallic luster when dry. |
Stem(s) | leaves triangular-lingulate, 0.8 mm or less; apex entire or weakly denticulate, hyaline cells sometimes septate, efibrillose and aporose except near apex. |
leaves narrowly to broadly lingulate or sometimes lingulate-spatulate, (1.1–)1.2–1.4(–1.6) mm; apex broadly obtuse to obtuse-truncate and more or less fimbriate-lacerately resorbed, border in distal half narrow and often indistinct, in proximal half widened and filling up 1/3–1/2(–2/3) of the breadth at the base; hyaline cells broadly S-shaped to rhombic S-shaped, predominantly nonseptate but a few cells are 1–3-septate; efibrillose. |
Branches | often short and blunt. |
unranked, terete. |
Branch leaves | broadly lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, (1.1–)1.4–1.8(–2.1) mm, slightly concave, straight to slightly subsecund; apex involute; border entire; hyaline cells on convex surface with (5–)8–10(–12) semicircular to elliptical, ringed pores along the commissures, concave surface aporose or infrequently with 1–2 pores per cell in the distal portion of the cell, more numerous along leaf margins. |
|
Sexual condition | dioicous. |
unknown. |
Capsule | exserted, with few pseudostomata. |
|
Spores | 30–35 µm; finely papillose on both surfaces, distinct bifurcated Y-mark sculpture on distal surface; proximal laesurae more than 0.5 spore radius. |
not seen. |
Branch | fascicles with 2–3 spreading and 2–3 pendent branches Branch leaves broadly ovate, subsecund, hyaline cells on convex surface with very numerous small pores (18–40 per cell) in a continuous row along the commissures, concave surface usually aporose. |
fascicles with 2 spreading and 1 pendent branch. |
Sphagnum subsecundum |
Sphagnum arcticum |
|
Habitat | Minerotrophic, near the edges of open, poor fens, less commonly found in open medium fens | Forming low hummocks in weakly to moderately minerotrophic fens |
Elevation | low to high elevations | low to moderate elevations |
Distribution |
AK; CA; CO; CT; ID; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; QC; YT; Greenland; Eurasia
|
AK; QC; YT; Eurasia |
Discussion | Sporophytes are rare in Sphagnum subsecundum. This species is often associated with S. angustifolium, S. centrale, S. fimbriatum, S. flexuosum, S. palustre, and S. teres. The most widespread and common species of sect. Subsecunda, it exhibits considerable phenotypic plasticity in size. However, the stem leaves are always quite small in comparison to those of similar species. See also discussions under 52. S. contortum and 55. S. inexspectatum. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Sporophytes are uncommon in Sphagnum arcticum. All collections of this fairly common species have been made north of 59° N latitude in wet or moist tundra vegetation. In its typical dark brown color, this species is often quite distinctive in the field. Sphagnum fuscum is smaller, not as dark, and its stem leaves are not as truncate-lacerate. Sphagnum subfulvum has a glossy sheen, which S. arcticum lacks, and its stem leaf has an obtuse but not lacerate apex. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 84. | FNA vol. 27, p. 89. |
Parent taxa | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Subsecunda | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Acutifolia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. crispum | |
Name authority | Nees: in J. Sturm et al., Deutschl. Fl. 2(17): species 3. (1819) | K. I. Flatberg & Frisvoll: Bryologist 87: 143, figs. 1–22. (1984) |
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