Sphagnum wulfianum |
Sphagnum cyclophyllum |
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wulf's sphagnum |
sphagnum |
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Habit | Plants low, erect or procumbent, loosely tufted; green or more frequently yellowish, orangish brown-red, reddish brown or dark red; capitulum not developed. | |
Stem(s) | leaves broadly ovate, 3.5–4 mm, apex rounded and indistinctly toothed; hyaline cells on convex surface with 10–20 small (2.5–7.5 µm) round pores approximately 1/6 the diameter of the hyaline cells along the commissures, cells on concave surface uniporose in distal end or aporose, sometimes one or a few pores are scattered over the surface of the cells. |
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Branches | few, single and short or more commonly none. |
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Branch leaves | with chlorophyllous cells often with faint papillae on interior walls. |
if any, are usually slightly smaller, 2–3 mm, but otherwise identical to the stem leaves. |
Sexual condition | dioicous. |
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Capsule | immersed in perichaetial leaves, pseudopodium extremely short, without pseudostomata. |
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Spores | 25–40 µm; coarsely papillose on both surfaces; proximal laesura more than 0.5 the length of the spore |
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Branch | fascicles, if any, usually only 1 single branch. |
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Sphagnum wulfianum |
Sphagnum cyclophyllum |
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Habitat | Coniferous forests, and occasionally in Alnus or Salix karrs | In open grassy savannas, pine barrens, ditches, bare sand in places that are usually submerged for a portion of the year |
Elevation | low to moderate elevations | low to moderate elevations |
Distribution |
CT; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; NH; NY; OH; PA; RI; VT; WI; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; QC; Greenland; Eurasia |
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; NJ; SC; TN; TX; VA; NS; South America |
Discussion | The sporophytes of Sphagnum wulfianum are moderately common. This is the most dry-growing species in North America, typically growing in association with Sphagnum centrale, S. girgensohnii, S. russowii, and S. squarrosum. It is easily recognized as the only species that regularly has more than six branches per fascicle. The Lycopodium clavatum-like growth habit and conifer swamp habitat along with the strongly 5-ranked branch leaves make it even easier to recognize in the field. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Sporophytes are quite rare in Sphagnum cyclophyllum, which grows associated with S. pylaesii, S. perichaetiale, S. portoricense, and S. lescurii. Sphagnum pylaesii is the only other North American Sphagnum that regularly grows unbranched. The latter species not only lacks the typical sect. Subsecunda branch leaf porosity of S. cyclophyllum but is also much more slender. Sphagnum pylaesii is also much more likely to occur submersed, where it occurs in branched forms, something S. cyclophyllum rarely does. See also discussion under 57. S. microcarpum and 61. S. platyphyllum. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 85. | FNA vol. 27, p. 80. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Girgensohn: Arch. Naturk. Liv- Ehst- Kurlands, Ser. 2, Biol. Naturk. 2: 173. (1860) | Sullivant: in A. Gray, Manual ed. 2, 611. (1856) |
Web links |