Sphagnum squarrosum Crome

  • Authority

    Sharp, Aaron J., et al. 1994. The Moss Flora of Mexico. Part One: Sphagnales to Bryales. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 69 (1): 1-452.

  • Family

    Sphagnaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Sphagnum squarrosum Crome

  • Description

    Species Description - Relatively robust plants in loose, pale-green to yellowish carpets. Terminal bud large. W o o d cylinder green to redbrown; cortical cells of stem in 2-3 layers, without fibrils or pores. Stem leaves only slightly concave, relatively large, oblong-lingulate, perforate or slightly fringed at a rounded apex, not or indistinctly bordered; hyaline cells mostly undivided and without fibrils, o n the outer surface almost entirely resorbed, o n the inner surface with membrane pleats, only at the leaf apex with membrane gaps. Branches in fascicles of 5 (2 spreading); cortical cells without fibrils, the retort cells with inconspicuous necks. Branch leaves squarrose from an erect base, ca. 2-2.5 mm long, broadened from the base upward and abruptly narrowed at the middle to an involute-concave acumen, toothed across a narrowly tmncate apex, bordered by 2-3 rows of linear cells; hyaline cells fibrillose, somewhat convex on both surfaces (somewhat more so o n the inner), often faintly papillose o n the side walls where they adjoin green cells, on the outer surface in the upper portion of the leaf with 1-3 round to round-elliptic, non-ringed pores at ends and corners, in the lower median region with 10 or more large pores in 1-2 rows, on the inner surface with 4-7 large, round-elliptic, ringed pores at ends and along commissures; green cells in section triangular or trapezoidal, exposed exclusively or more broadly on the outer surface. Monoicous. Spores 17-27 µn, smooth or nearly so to finely papillose.

  • Discussion

    Fig. 6

    S. squarrosum Crome, Samml. Deutsch. Laubm. 24. 1803.

    Sphagnum squarrosum can be recognized at a glance by its large size and abruptly acuminate, conspicuously squarrose branch leaves. Other features of note include a large terminal bud, extensive resorption on both surfaces at the broad apex of stem leaves, and branch leaves with hyaline cells having ringed pores o n the inner surface.

  • Distribution

    The Mexican habitat is unknown. The sole collection from Mexico (F) was made by Harde Le Sueur, presumably in Chihuahua, in the Chupie Lake area (near Chuhuichupa, municipio de Madera, at 2300 m altitude). — Mexico; Greenland to Alaska and south to Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, and the Great Lakes region and, in the mountains, to North Carolina and Tennessee; widespread in Europe; China and Japan; reported from India, Korea, eastern Siberia, and New Zealand. - This species is common at North Temper

    Mexico North America|