Sphagnum pulchrum

(Lindberg) Warnstorf

Bot. Centralbl. 82: 42. 1900,.

Basionym: Sphagnum intermedium var. pulchrum Lindberg in R. Braithwaite, Sphagnac. Europe, 81, fig. 25g. 1880
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 27. Treatment on page 74. Mentioned on page 63, 66, 72, 75, 84, 89, 93.

Plants moderate-sized to robust, often quite dense and compact; green, brownish green, golden brown to dark-brown; capitulum flattopped and not especially 5-radiate. Stems green to dark-brown; superficial cortex of 2 layers of enlarged, moderately differentiated cells. Stem-leaves triangular to triangular-lingulate, 0.9–1.1 mm; appressed to spreading; apex apiculate, acute or narrowly obtuse, appressed to spreading; hyaline cells nonseptate and efibrillose. Branches straight to more typically curved, typically stout and blunt ended; strongly 5-ranked, leaves not much elongate at distal end. Branch fascicles with 2 spreading and 2 pendent branches. Branch stems green but often reddish at proximal end, with cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells. Branch leaves ovate to ovatelanceolate, 1.4–1.8 mm; straight to often subsecund; weakly undulate and slightly recurved; hyaline cells on convex surface with 1 pore per cell at apical end of cell, on concave surface with round wall-thinnings in the cells ends and angles; chlorophyllous cells triangular to triangular-ovate in transverse-section, very well-enclosed within concave surface. Sexual condition dioicous. Spores 25–28 µm; roughly papillous on both surfaces; proximal laesura more than 0.5 the length of the spore.


Habitat: Abundant in poor fens and raised bogs, forming dense carpets at water level, especially on floating mats
Elevation: low to moderate elevations

Distribution

V27 56-distribution-map.gif

Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.), N.S., Ont., Que., Alaska, Conn., Ind., Maine, Mass., Mich., Minn., N.H., N.J., N.Y., Wis., W.Va., Europe

Discussion

Sporophytes are uncommon in Sphagnum pulchrum. With its distinctive broad and strongly 5-ranked branch leaves, It is one of our most easily recognized species.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Sphagnum pulchrum"
appressed +  and spreading +
obtuse;acute;apiculate +
Cyrus B. McQueen† +  and Richard E. Andrus +
(Lindberg) Warnstorf +
Sphagnum intermedium var. pulchrum +
differentiated +
broad +  and narrow +
fascicles +  and 5-ranked +
curved;straight +
more slender and delicate +
ratio +, length +  and width +
undulate +, ovate +  and ovatelanceolate +
0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br /> (0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br />) +
pendent +  and spreading +
slender +
reddish +  and green +
differentiated +
chlorophyllous +  and efibrillose +
alternating +
strengthened +
well-enclosed +
nonornamented +
dioicous +  and sexual +
triangular +  and triangular-ovate +
enlarged +
fibrillose +
differentiated +
spherical +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (?) +
monoicous +, dioicous +  and sexual +
enlarged +
Man. +, N.B. +, Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.) +, N.S. +, Ont. +, Que. +, Alaska +, Conn. +, Ind. +, Maine +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, Wis. +, W.Va. +  and Europe +
low to moderate elevations +
monoicous +, dioicous +  and sexual +
conspicuous +
isophyllous +, hemiisophyllous +  and anisophyllous +
Abundant in poor fens and raised bogs, forming dense carpets at water level, especially on floating mats +
0.09 cm0.9 mm <br />9.0e-4 m <br /> (0.11 cm1.1 mm <br />0.0011 m <br />) +
appressed +  and spreading +
triangular;triangular-lingulate +
elongate +
in a few cases +  and entire +
inconspicuous +  and conspicuous +
Bot. Centralbl. +
tetrahedral +
septate +, porose +  and efibrillose +
triangular;lingulate +
usually smaller +
green;dark-brown +
differentiated +
with a few to numerous pores or pseudopores +  and porose +
concave +  and convex +
Sphagnum sect. Mollusca +
Sphagnum pulchrum +
Sphagnum sect. Cuspidata +
species +
swollen +
golden brown +  and dark-brown +