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Sphagnum lindbergii
This beautiful species is easily differentiated by brownish plants that have a dark brown stem core, a conspicuous apical bud, and stem leaves that are fan-shaped and lacerate over the entire upper portion. This species is relatively large in stature and occurs in carpets in very wet poor fens and bogs. At least in North America it is only abundant in the northern boreal zone and along both coasts. In comparison, S. lenense that also has brown stems, is much smaller (S. fuscum in size), has stem leaves that are fan-shaped and lacerate but also have a broad resorbed tear that is evident in the upper half of the leaves. It occurs on high hummocks in the subarctic and alpine zones. From S. fuscum, which it superficially resembles, it is distinguished by having a wonderful copper coloration, young pendent branches in pairs, and the lacerate stem leaves ( also it is a member of the section Cuspidatum with green cells exposed on the convex surface).
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Above, S. lingergii in the field |
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| Habit: | Dark brown plants in firm carpets with a conspicuous apical bud and shiny, 5-ranked leaves that are especially noticeable when wet, capitulum-indentations with one visible pendent branch. |
| Stems: | with a dark brown core and a well-developed hyalodermis. |
| Leaves: | ovate-lanceolate narrowed to a narrowly truncate apex, stem leaves fan-shaped, coarsely lacerate across the upper ½ of leaf, hyaline cells noticeably resorbed on upper part of leaf. |
| Leaf Cells: | hyaline cells of branch leaves with a few small ringed pores in the cell corners, concave surface with a few marginal unringed, indistinct pores, no medial pores on either surface present, green cells triangular, exposed on the convex surface, and extending to the concave surface. |
| Alar Cells: | |
| Habitat: | Emergent from oligotrophic waters and forming wet carpets in poor fens and bogs (in oceanic areas). Northern and coastal in distribution. |
| Common Associates: |
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