Flora of North America species comparison

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Sphagnum warnstorfii

Sphagnum bartlettianum

Warnstorf's peat-moss, Warnstorf's sphagnum

Bartlett's sphagnum
Habit Plants small or less frequently moderate-sized, slender, capitulum flat-topped and stellate; green or dark purplish red and green, rarely green throughout, often with a distinctive bluish cast when dry. Plants ± moderate-sized, capitula flat-topped and stellate to some-what hemispherical; variegated pale yellowish and red, sometimes partially green or completely red; without metallic lustre when dry.
Stem(s)

leaves triangular-lingulate to lingulate, 1.1–1.4 mm, apex broad-rounded to narrowly truncate, border very broad at base (more than 0.3 width);

hyaline cells efibrillose, rhombic, mostly 1-septate but can be non-septate.

leaves narrowly lingulate-triangular, 1.2–1.8 mm, apex acute to apiculate, border not developed much along margins and narrow at base (occupying less than 0.25 the width of the base);

hyaline cells rhombic, mostly 0–1-septate.
Branches

long and tapering, usually strongly 5-ranked.

usually strongly 5-ranked.
Branch leaves

ovate-lanceolate, 0.9–1.4 mm, concave, straight, apex involute;

hyaline cells on convex surface with very small ringed pores (less than 0.25 cell width) along commissures near apex, changing abruptly to large elliptical pores (0.4 cell width or more) basally, concave surface with large round pores in proximal margins and leaf base.

narrowly ovate-lanceolate, 1.2–1.5 mm, concave, straight, apex strongly involute, border entire, hyaline cells on convex surface with 3–9 faintly ringed rounded-elliptic pores along the commissures often quite small apically, largely aporose on concave surface.
Sexual condition

dioicous.

dioicous.
Spores

17–26 µm, finely papillose on both surfaces;

proximal laesura less than 0.5 spore radius.

19–28 µm; coarsely papillose on both surfaces with a distinct ridged border around perimeter of proximal surface;

proximal laesura less than 0.5 spore radius.
Branch

fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.

fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.

Sphagnum warnstorfii

Sphagnum bartlettianum
Phenology Capsules mature late summer to early autumn. Capsules mature late spring to early summer.
Habitat Minerotropic, hygrophytic, frequent in medium to rich fens Ecology poorly understood, more southern weakly minerotrophic sites such as the mires in the Pine Barrens of N.J. and the pocosins of the Atlantic coastal plain
Elevation low to moderate elevations low to moderate elevations
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CO; CT; IA; ID; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MT; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SD; UT; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; NU; ON; QC; SK; YT; Greenland; Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; CA; CT; DE; FL; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; BC; NB; NF; NS; QC; Europe
Discussion

Sporophytes are uncommon in Sphagnum warnstorfii. This is one of the most minerotrophic species of the flora, is hygrophytic, and has a very broad niche. The most commonly associated vascular plants are Thuja occidentalis, Abies balsamea, and Picea rubens. Bryophytes typically associated with it are S. centrale, S. squarrosum, S. teres, Calliergonella cuspidata, and Campylium stellatum. This species is perhaps most similar to S. bartlettianum, with which it has small range overlap. Sphagnum warnstorfii has a shorter and less sharply pointed stem leaf and the red color with a characteristic bluish caste compared to the crimson red of S. bartlettianum. See also discussion under 81. S. russowii and 86. S. talbotianum.

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

Sporophytes are not common in Sphagnum bartlettianum. Confusion is most likely with S. rubellum, with which it frequently co-occurs in the northern part of its range. The ecology is poorly understood due to taxonomic confusion with S. rubellum; the latter species, however, is more typical of boreal poor fens and bogs. Sphagnum bartlettianum has a narrower stem leaf with a distinctly pointed and even apiculate tip, whereas the stem leaf on S. rubellum is quite rounded. The branch leaves of S. bartlettianum are also narrower than those of S. rubellum and are never subsecund as in the latter. Sphagnum quinquefarium has shorter and wider stem leaves as well as often having 3 spreading branches per fascicle. Sphagnum wilfii can appear quite similar and it does overlap the range of S. bartlettianum in coastal British Columbia and southeastern Alaska. Sphagnum wilfii has a stem leaf that is triangular to triangular-lingulate in contrast to the narrowly lingulate-triangular stem leaf of S. bartlettianum.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 27, p. 101. FNA vol. 27, p. 90.
Parent taxa Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Acutifolia Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Acutifolia
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. teres, S. torreyanum, S. trinitense, S. tundrae, S. viride, 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. 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. teres, S. torreyanum, S. trinitense, S. tundrae, S. viride, S. warnstorfii, S. wilfii, S. wulfianum
Synonyms S. warnstorfianum S. bartlettianum var. roseum
Name authority Russow: Sitzungs.-Ber. Naturf.-Ges. Univ. Dorpat 8: 315. (1888) Warnstorf: in H. G. A. Engler, Pflanzenr. 51[III]: 105. (1911)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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