Sphagnum torreyanum |
Sphagnum capillifolium |
|
---|---|---|
Torrey's sphagnum |
common red peat-moss, small red peat moss, sphagnum |
|
Habit | Plants robust and weak-stemmed; green to golden yellow; capitulum ± rounded in emergent forms, flat in submersed forms; lacking distinct terminal bud. | Plants small to moderate-sized, compact to fairly slender, normally stiff and erect; capitulum typically hemispherical; in exposed sites red, mottled red and green, in shaded sites green forms are common; without metallic lustre when dry. |
Stem(s) | leaves triangular, 1–1.7 mm, apex acute to slightly obtuse; leaves usually appressed; margins entire; hyaline cells fibrillose and usually septate at base and sides. |
green to red; superficial cortical cells aporose Stem leaves lingulate-triangular, 1.2–1.6(–1.8) mm, apex ± involute; border entire and broadened to about 0.25 the width of the base; hyaline cells S-shaped, 0–1-septate, usually fibrillose in distal portion of leaf. |
Branches | unranked, long and tapering, leaves greatly elongated at distal end. |
not 5-ranked, terete. |
Branch leaves | ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, 3–5.5 mm; straight but sometimes slightly falcate-secund; weakly undulate and recurved when dry; margins entire; hyaline cells on convex surface with 0–1 pore per cell, on concave surface with round wall thinnings on the apices and angles; chlorophyllous cells narrowly triangular in transverse section and just enclosed on the concave surface. |
ovate-lanceolate, 1–1.4 mm, imbricate to moderately spreading, concave, straight, strongly involute near apex; hyaline cells on convex surface with elliptic pores along commissures, concave surface with large round pores away from commissures in proximal portions of leaf. |
Sexual condition | dioicous. |
dioicous. |
Spores | 26–29 µm; both surfaces distinctly papillose, appearing pusticulate to irregularly pusticulate; proximal laesura mostly less than 0.5 spore radius. |
20–28 µm; finely papillose on both surfaces, with distinct raised Y-shaped sculpture on distal surface; proximal laesura 0.5 spore radius or more. |
Branch | fascicles with 2 spreading and 2 pendent branches.; branch stems green; cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells. |
fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches. |
Sphagnum torreyanum |
Sphagnum capillifolium |
|
Phenology | Capsules mature mid summer. | |
Habitat | Forming wet often floating carpets in weakly minerotrophic mires | Ombrotrophic, broad range of acidic environments, also forming dense mats and carpets over wet, acidic rocks and peat, especially at higher elevations, less frequent in forested fen vegetation |
Elevation | low to moderate elevations | low to high elevations |
Distribution |
AL; CT; DE; FL; GA; LA; MA; MD; ME; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; SC; VA; VT; NB; NF; NS; QC; St Pierre and Miquelon (Miquelon) |
AK; CA; CT; ID; IL; IN; KY; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; VA; VT; WA; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Greenland; Europe
|
Discussion | Sporophytes are uncommon in Sphagnum torreyanum. See discussion under 24. S. atlanticum for taxonomic distinctions. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Sporophytes are fairly common in Sphagnum capillifolium. This species is most common and abundant in ombrotrophic heath vegetation associated with S. angustifolium, S. fallax, S. fuscum, S. magellanicum, S. rubellum, Polytrichum commune, and P. juniperinum. It can be distinguished from most other red species of sect. Acutifolia with which it co-occurs by its lack of 5-ranking in the branches. Sphagnum subtile is a forest and non-hummock forming species that has a distinctly shorter and more triangular-lingulate stem leaf. The stem leaf border on S. subtile is also more strongly bordered. Sphagnum tenerum, which geographically overlaps S. capillifolium only very minimally, has much more turgid branches and a generally more robust look. The stem leaf of S. tenerum is triangular-lingulate as compared to the lingulate- triangular stem leaf of S. capillifolium. See also discussion under 84. S. subnitens and 87. S. tenerum. The names Sphagnum acutifolium Schrader and S. nemoreum Scopoli (doubtful name) have also been used for this taxon. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 77. | FNA vol. 27, p. 91. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. cuspidatum var. torreyi, S. cuspidatum var. miquelonense, S. kearneyi, S. laxifolium var. miquelonense | S. palustre var. capillifolium, S. capillaceum, S. capillifolium var. viride, S. margaritae |
Name authority | Sullivant: Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, n. s. 4: 174. (1849) | (Ehrhart) Hedwig: Fund. Hist. Nat. Musc. Frond. 2: 86. (1782) |
Web links |