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rigid peat-moss, sphagnum

sphagnum

Habit Plants fairly slender to moderate-sized, pale green to yellowish, or reddish brown in sun-grown forms; forms loose to dense carpets. Plants small to moderate-sized, slender and soft, lax, moderately weak to moderately stiff-stemmed; green, pale yellowish green, yellowish brown, grayish brown or reddish brown; capitulum typically compact and twisted in the middle like a ball of yarn, spreading branches curved giving a pinwheel appearance.
Stem(s)

leaves generally larger than branch leaves, 1.3– 1.8 × 0.8–1 mm;

elliptic to lingulate-spatulate, widest above middle, hyaline cells nonseptate.

leaves triangular-lingulate to lingulate, 0.7–1.3 mm, appressed to stem, apex obtuse to broadly obtuse and erose to somewhat lacerate, hyaline cells efibrillose and nonseptate.

Branches

long-cylindrical, branch leaves terete to sometimes distinctly squarrose in shade forms.

curved, unranked to less commonly (in wet-grown forms) 5-ranked, leaves not much elongate at distal end.

Branch leaves

1–1.4 mm, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, gradually narrowed to an involute tip, hyaline cells somewhat bulging on concave surface and nearly plane on convex surface, with 4–8 large, elliptic, unringed pores per cell on convex surface and 1–4 irregularly rounded pores per cell on concave surface, internal commissural walls smooth to rather strongly papillose, chlorophyllous cells ovate-triangular with the widest part at or close to the convex surface.

ovate-lanceolate to broadly ovate-lanceolate, 1.5–2.5 mm, strongly undulate and moderately recurved when dry, straight;

margin entire;

greater than hyaline cells on convex surface with 1–2 pores per cell at cell apex, on concave surface with round wall thinnings in the cell ends and angles; chlorophyllous cells triangular in transverse section and typically just slightly exposed on the concave surface.

Sexual condition

dioicous.

dioicous.

Spores

21–26 µm;

proximal and distal surfaces smooth, papillae indistinct;

proximal laesura 0.5–0.6 spore radius.

23–25 µm; moderately to coarsely papillose on both surfaces;

proximal laesura approximately 0.5 spore radius.

Branch

fascicles typically with 3 spreading (sometimes 2) and 2 pendent branches.;

branch stems with single layer of cortical cells.

fascicles with 2(–3) spreading and 2 pendent branches.;

branch stems green but sometimes reddish at proximal end, with cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells.

Sphagnum teres

Sphagnum flexuosum

Phenology Sporophytes uncommon, capsules mature late spring to early summer. Sporophytes uncommon, capsules mature early to late summer.
Habitat Strongly minerotrophic, in open to medium rich fens, less frequent in coniferous mires, characteristic species of rich, weakly acidic to slightly basic mires Forming carpets in poor to medium fens, mostly sedge-fens and mire edge habitat
Elevation low to high elevations low to moderate elevations
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; CO; CT; IA; ID; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; ND; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NF; NS; NT; NU; ON; QC; SK; YT; Greenland; Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CT; IL; IN; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; TN; VT; WI; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; Europe
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Shade forms of Sphagnum teres are often squarrose but these are usually considerably smaller than S. squarrosum. For other distinctions between these species, see discussion under the latter.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Of species in sect. Cuspidata with range and ecology similar to that of Sphagnum flexuosum, S. angustifolium and S. recurvum have rounded stem leaves. In S. angustifolium the stem leaves are more triangular and rarely erose while the branch leaves are narrower and more strongly 5-ranked. Sphagnum recurvum also has narrower and more 5-ranked branch leaves than does S. flexuosum, as well as a much more strongly differentiated stem cortex. In S. flexuosum the branch leaves are only slightly recurved whereas in S. recurvum they are sharply recurved.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 59. FNA vol. 27, p. 68.
Parent taxa Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Squarrosa Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Cuspidata
Sibling taxa
S. affine, S. alaskense, S. andersonianum, S. angermanicum, S. angustifolium, S. annulatum, S. aongstroemii, S. arcticum, S. atlanticum, S. austinii, S. balticum, S. bartlettianum, S. beothuk, S. bergianum, S. brevifolium, S. capillifolium, S. carolinianum, S. centrale, S. compactum, S. contortum, S. cribrosum, S. cuspidatum, S. cyclophyllum, S. fallax, S. fimbriatum, S. fitzgeraldii, S. flavicomans, S. flexuosum, S. fuscum, S. girgensohnii, S. henryense, S. imbricatum, S. inexspectatum, S. inundatum, S. isoviitae, S. jensenii, S. junghuhnianum, S. kenaiense, S. lenense, S. lescurii, S. lindbergii, S. macrophyllum, S. magellanicum, S. majus, S. mcqueenii, S. mendocinum, S. microcarpum, S. mirum, S. mississippiense, S. molle, S. obtusum, S. oregonense, S. orientale, S. pacificum, S. palustre, S. papillosum, S. perfoliatum, S. perichaetiale, S. platyphyllum, S. portoricense, S. pulchrum, S. pylaesii, S. quinquefarium, S. recurvum, S. riparium, S. rubellum, S. rubiginosum, S. rubroflexuosum, S. russowii, S. sitchense, S. splendens, S. squarrosum, S. steerei, S. strictum, S. subfulvum, S. subnitens, S. subsecundum, S. subtile, S. talbotianum, S. tenellum, S. tenerum, S. torreyanum, S. trinitense, S. tundrae, S. viride, S. warnstorfii, S. wilfii, S. wulfianum
S. affine, S. alaskense, S. andersonianum, S. angermanicum, S. angustifolium, S. annulatum, S. aongstroemii, S. arcticum, S. atlanticum, S. austinii, S. balticum, S. bartlettianum, S. beothuk, S. bergianum, S. brevifolium, S. capillifolium, S. carolinianum, S. centrale, S. compactum, S. contortum, S. cribrosum, S. cuspidatum, S. cyclophyllum, S. fallax, S. fimbriatum, S. fitzgeraldii, S. flavicomans, S. fuscum, S. girgensohnii, S. henryense, S. imbricatum, S. inexspectatum, S. inundatum, S. isoviitae, S. jensenii, S. junghuhnianum, S. kenaiense, S. lenense, S. lescurii, S. lindbergii, S. macrophyllum, S. magellanicum, S. majus, S. mcqueenii, S. mendocinum, S. microcarpum, S. mirum, S. mississippiense, S. molle, S. obtusum, S. oregonense, S. orientale, S. pacificum, S. palustre, S. papillosum, S. perfoliatum, S. perichaetiale, S. platyphyllum, S. portoricense, S. pulchrum, S. pylaesii, S. quinquefarium, S. recurvum, S. riparium, S. rubellum, S. rubiginosum, S. rubroflexuosum, S. russowii, S. sitchense, S. splendens, S. squarrosum, S. steerei, S. strictum, S. subfulvum, S. subnitens, S. subsecundum, S. subtile, S. talbotianum, S. tenellum, S. tenerum, S. teres, S. torreyanum, S. trinitense, S. tundrae, S. viride, S. warnstorfii, S. wilfii, S. wulfianum
Synonyms S. squarrosum var. teres, S. teres var. squarrosulum S. amblyphyllum, S. fallax var. flexuosum, S. flexuosum var. ramosissimum, S. flexuosum var. recurvum, S. recurvum subsp. amblyphyllum, S. recurvum var. amblyphyllum
Name authority Ångström: in C. J. Hartman, Handb. Skand Fl. ed. 8, 417. (1861) Dozy & Molkenboer: in R. B. van den Bosch et al., Prodr. Fl. Bat. 2(1): 76. (1851)
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