Sphagnum tenellum |
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soft peat-moss, sphagnum |
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Habit | Plants small, slender and weak-stemmed; pale yellow to golden brown, rarely tinged with red; capitulum not especially distinct. |
Stem(s) | leaves ovate-lingulate; 1–1.3 mm, apex broadly rounded; hyaline cells nonseptate, aporose and fibrillose in at least distal half of leaf. |
Branches | 2–3 spreading and 2 pendent leaves not much elongated at distal end. |
Branch leaves | ovate, 1–1.5 mm; straight; not or weakly undulate or recurved when dry; margins entire; hyaline cells short and wide, convex surface with 1–3 small pores per cell and on concave surface with large round wall thinnings in the cell angles; chlorophyllous cells equilateral-triangular in transverse section, broadly exposed on convex surface and just reaching to well-enclosed on concave surface. |
Sexual condition | monoicous. |
Spores | 27–42 µm; both surfaces smooth, proximal surface with distinct bifurcated Y-mark sculpture surrounded by distinct circular border, distal surface with distinct raised border around margins; proximal laesura usually less than 0.4 spore radius. |
Branch | stems green; cortex enlarged, with conspicuously long-necked retort cells. |
Sphagnum tenellum |
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Phenology | Capsules mature early to mid summer. |
Habitat | Wet depressions in a variety of ombrotropic and weakly minerotrophic habitats |
Elevation | low to high elevations |
Distribution |
AK; ME; NC; NJ; NY; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; Greenland; Eurasia |
Discussion | Sporophytes are common in Sphagnum tenellum. The delicate appearance created by the ovate and concave branch leaves as well as the large concave stem leaves make this a usually unmistakeable species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 76. |
Parent taxa | |
Sibling taxa | |
Synonyms | S. cymbifolium var. tenellum, S. molluscum |
Name authority | (Bridel) Bory: Voy. Îles Afrique. 3: 107. (1804) |
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