Sphagnum tenerum
sphagnum
leaves 1.4–1.8 mm, elongate-triangular, lingulate-triangular, hemiisophyllous forms elongate triangular-ovate, 1.4–1.8 mm, apex usually conspicuously toothed, border narrow at base (less than 0.25 width);
hyaline cells narrowly rhombic to S-shaped, can be efibrillose and aporose but more commonly fibrillose and porose, 0–1-septate.
turgid and terete, leaves, not 5-ranked.
ovate, 1.1–1.7 mm, slightly concave, straight, apex weakly involute and conspicuously toothed;
hyaline cells on the convex surface with round to elliptic pores along the commissures, grading from moderate-sized pores near apex to large pores at leaf base, concave surface with large round pores throughout.
uncertain, monoicous or dioicous or possibly both.
22–25 µm, finely roughened.
fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.
Sphagnum tenerum
Sporophytes are uncommon in Spagnum tenerum. The sexual condition is uncertain because of past taxonomic confusion with S. capillifolium (R. E. Andrus 1980). Sphagnum tenerum is usually described (incorrectly) as having hemiisophyllous stem leaves, and many collections of other species of sect. Acutifolia with such leaves have been called S. tenerum. When correctly characterized, S. tenerum is can be confused only with S. capillifolium, with which it has only a very small range overlap. Microscopically, besides the otherwise quite different S. angermanicum, S. tenerum is the only species of sect. Acutifolia with large round free pores in most of the branch leaf hyaline cells on their concave surfaces. See also discussion under 71. S. capillifolium. Sexual condition and spore features were taken from H. A. Crum (1984).
The name Sphagnum evansii Warnstorf has also been used for this taxon.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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