Sphagnum teres |
Sphagnum strictum |
|
---|---|---|
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 moderate-sized, pale green, yellow-green to occasionally strongly reddish; growing in loose mats. |
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 very small, less than 0.8 mm, triangular with blunt rounded apex. |
Branches | long-cylindrical, branch leaves terete to sometimes distinctly squarrose in shade forms. |
erect in distal portion of plants. |
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. |
large, 2.8 mm or longer, sub-squarrose, ovate, involute to broad, truncate apex with more than 6 teeth; hyaline cells with up to 6 non-ringed pores on convex surface with few or no pseudopores, 2–4 elliptic ringed pores on concave surface in corners or along commissures, internal commissural walls minutely papillose (best viewed in oblique sections), rarely smooth; chlorophyllous cells narrowly triangular in transverse section, more broadly exposed on convex surface, enclosed on concave surface. |
Sexual condition | dioicous. |
monoicous. |
Capsule | with abundant pseudostomata on surface of capsule. |
|
Spores | 21–26 µm; proximal and distal surfaces smooth, papillae indistinct; proximal laesura 0.5–0.6 spore radius. |
31–43 µm; coarsely papillose on both proximal and distal surfaces, raised Y-mark sculpture on distal surface; proximal laesura moderately long, 0.4–0.7 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 short-spreading and 3 long-tapering pendent branches. |
Sphagnum teres |
Sphagnum strictum |
|
Phenology | Sporophytes uncommon, capsules mature late spring to early summer. | Capsules common, mature early to mid 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 | Pioneer species among grasses on peaty sand, pine barrens, burned-over savannas, seeps in mountainous areas inland |
Elevation | low to high elevations | low to high elevations |
Distribution |
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
|
AL; FL; GA; LA; MD; ME; NC; NJ; SC; VA; NB; NF; NS; Europe |
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.) |
Though they seldom if ever overlap ecologically, Sphagnum strictum and S. squarrosum both usually have squarrose branch leaves, but S. squarrosum has a lingulate fringed stem leaf that differs greatly from the triangular and entire-margined stem leaf of S. strictum. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 59. | FNA vol. 27, p. 56. |
Parent taxa | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Squarrosa | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Rigida |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. squarrosum var. teres, S. teres var. squarrosulum | S. compactum var. expositum, S. garberi, S. mexicanum |
Name authority | Ångström: in C. J. Hartman, Handb. Skand Fl. ed. 8, 417. (1861) | Sullivant: Musc. Allegh., 201. (1846) |
Web links |