Sphagnum tenellum
Sphagnum brevifolium
soft peat-moss, sphagnum
leaves ovate-lingulate; 1–1.3 mm, apex broadly rounded;
hyaline cells nonseptate, aporose and fibrillose in at least distal half of leaf.
leaves triangular to lingulate-triangular, apex apiculate, acute and sometimes slightly obtuse, spreading or sometimes appressed;
hyaline cells nonseptate and often fibrillose at leaf apex.
2–3 spreading and 2 pendent leaves not much elongated at distal end.
straight to distinctly curved, leaves unranked to 5-ranked, leaves not greatly elongate at branch distal end.
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.
ovate to ovate-lanceolate, greater than 1.2 mm, often subsecund, slightly undulate and slightly recurved when dry;
margin entire;
hyaline cells on convex surface with 1 pore per cell in apical end, on concave surface with round wall thinnings in the cell ends and angles; chlorophyllous cells equilateral to isosceles-triangular, well-enclosed on the concave surface.
monoicous.
dioicous.
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.
not seen.
stems green;
cortex enlarged, with conspicuously long-necked retort cells.
fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.;
branch stems with cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells, sometimes reddish at proximal end.
Sphagnum tenellum
Sphagnum brevifolium
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.)
Details of the distribution of Sphagnum brevifolium are unclear because of confusion with S. fallax and S. isoviitae. This seems to be a species of poor to medium fens, where it occurs in depressions and floating mats; it does not appear to form extensive fast-growing mats as do S. fallax, S. isoviitae, and S. pacificum. Sphagnum brevifolium is one of five species in the S. recurvum complex with apiculate stem leaves. On the Pacific coast it seemingly co-occurs only with S. pacificum, from which it differs in having branch leaves less sharply recurved and more strongly 5-ranked. In eastern North America it is quite uncommon but can occur with both S. fallax and S. isoviitae of S. recurvum, in the broad sense. Sphagnum fallax has more sharply recurved branch leaves. Sphagnum splendens has a distinct shiny look. The much more common S. isoviitae has a distinctly flatter capitulum, narrower branch leaves and wider stem leaves. In fact, the relatively broad branch leaves of S. brevifolium sometimes can give it the appearance of a slender S. pulchrum, but the latter has much more strongly 5-ranked branch leaves and lacks paired pendent branch buds. See also discussion under 22. S. angustifolium.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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