Sphagnum tenerum |
Sphagnum rubiginosum |
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sphagnum |
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Habit | Plants ± robust, weak-stemmed, and compact, capitulum hemispherical, branches in capitulum short and blunt; typically mottled pale yellow-green and purplish red, without metallic sheen when dry. | Plants slender to moderately robust, capitulum flat-topped to somewhate convex, terminal bud rather conspicuous, slightly to distinctly stellate; green to variegated green and brown-red to red-brown, lacking metallic sheen when dry. |
Stem(s) | 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. |
leaves broadly lingulate-spathulate to spatulate, widest at base and/or distal third, usually narrower in the mid region, 1–1.3 mm, apex narrowly to broadly truncate and ± fimbriate-lacerate, border narrow distally and expanded proximally to 0.25 width or more; hyaline cells efibrillose, irregularly rhombic to subquadrate, many cells 2–4-septate. |
Branches | turgid and terete, leaves, not 5-ranked. |
unranked. |
Branch leaves | 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. |
ovate-lanceolate, 1.1–1.4 mm, slightly concave, straight, apex involute; hyaline cells on convex surface grading from aporose to few small round pores near apex to numerous semi-elliptic pores along commissures in middle and base of leaf, concave surface with a few large irregular to circular pores (1–4) occupying most of the cell width. |
Sexual condition | uncertain, monoicous or dioicous or possibly both. |
autoicous. |
Spores | 22–25 µm, finely roughened. |
20–27 µm, moderately granulate-papillose on both surfaces, distinct raise Y-mark sculpture on distal surface; proximal laesura less than or equal to 0.5 spore radius. |
Branch | fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches. |
fascicles with 3(4–5) spreading branches and 1–2 pendent branches. |
Sphagnum tenerum |
Sphagnum rubiginosum |
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Phenology | Capsules mature mid to late summer. | |
Habitat | Damp sand and thin humus especially around pond margins, open savannas, and pine barrens | Shaded areas in humid, spruce forests |
Elevation | low to moderate elevations | low to moderate elevations |
Distribution |
AL; DC; DE; FL; GA; KY; MD; NC; NJ; NY; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA |
AK; WA; BC; NF; Europe |
Discussion | 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.) |
The sporophytes of Sphagnum rubiginosum are common. The geographic distribution is unclear because of the species’ recent description and possible confusion with S. girgensohnii. It is clearly distinct from S. girgensohnii in coloration, number of spreading branch fascicles, the common occurrence of sporophytes (rarely found with S. girgensohnii, and spore morophology. The conspicuous three spreading branches will separate this from all species of sect. Acutifolia except S. quinquefarium. The latter has 5-ranked branch leaves, while those of S. rubiginosum are unranked. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 100. | FNA vol. 27, p. 96. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. capillaceum var. tenerum, S. capillifolium var. tenerum, S. tenerum var. virginicum | |
Name authority | Sullivant: in A. Gray, Manual ed. 2, 611. (1856) | Flatberg: Lindbergia 18: 61. (1993) |
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