Sphagnum warnstorfii |
Sphagnum strictum |
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Warnstorf's peat-moss, Warnstorf's sphagnum |
sphagnum |
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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, pale green, yellow-green to occasionally strongly reddish; growing in loose mats. |
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 very small, less than 0.8 mm, triangular with blunt rounded apex. |
Branches | long and tapering, usually strongly 5-ranked. |
erect in distal portion of plants. |
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. |
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. |
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Spores | 17–26 µm, finely papillose on both surfaces; proximal laesura less than 0.5 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 with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches. |
fascicles with 2 short-spreading and 3 long-tapering pendent branches. |
Sphagnum warnstorfii |
Sphagnum strictum |
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Phenology | Capsules mature late summer to early autumn. | Capsules common, mature early to mid summer. |
Habitat | Minerotropic, hygrophytic, frequent in medium to rich fens | Pioneer species among grasses on peaty sand, pine barrens, burned-over savannas, seeps in mountainous areas inland |
Elevation | low to moderate elevations | low to high elevations |
Distribution |
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
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AL; FL; GA; LA; MD; ME; NC; NJ; SC; VA; NB; NF; NS; 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.) |
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. 101. | FNA vol. 27, p. 56. |
Parent taxa | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Acutifolia | Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Rigida |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. warnstorfianum | S. compactum var. expositum, S. garberi, S. mexicanum |
Name authority | Russow: Sitzungs.-Ber. Naturf.-Ges. Univ. Dorpat 8: 315. (1888) | Sullivant: Musc. Allegh., 201. (1846) |
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