Specimen #6: Sphagnum girgensohnii

Collection #: 6

Scientific Name: Sphagnum girgensohnii

Phylum: Bryophyta; Spagnopsida

Order: Spagnales

Family: Spagnaceae

Common Name: graceful peat moss

Location: Trangle Lake area

Habitat: Wet bog area near the board walk

Date of collecting: September 10th

Collector: Cornelia

Notes: Smaller and greener peat moss compare with specimen #5

How did I key this out:

Fig.1 Group picture                                                                              Fig.2 Single plant

From both of the pictures above (Fig.1 and Fig.2), we could again easily see that this specimen is another Sphagnum/peat moss just like specimen #5, and in general, this specimen has greener color and smaller single plant. By knowing this fact, we could now go to the key: KEY XII: Peat Mosses

The following steps is how I went through the keys:

1. (B) Branch leaves with margins flat to somewhat incurved, yip long-pointed, not hooded; stem cross-section without consipicuous cortex, less than ¼ diameter of stem; branches slender, stringy or spiky. (See Fig.3 for this fact.) (5)
5. (B) Clusters of 5 or fewer branches attached at one point; apical head large or small but not as dense as pom-pom; stems stiff to flexible; plants typically grow as cushions, mats, or carpets either in forests or open habitats such as bogs, fens, or sedge meadows. (6)
6. (B) Branch leaves with apical half gradually narrowed and not bent outward from base (some species may have leaf tips reflexed outward when dry). (See Fig.3 for this fact.) (7)
7. (B) Plant green, yellowish, or brownish with no trace of red. (See Fig.1, Fig.2 and Fig.5 for this fact.) (10)
10. (B) Apical head with mostly straight branches and not appearing twisted when viewed from above. (See Fig.2 for this fact.) (11)
11. (B) Stem leaves tongue- to fan-shaped with round tips, as long as branch leaves, and lying flat against stem and pointing toward stem tip; if apical heads looks like a 5-pointed star, then developing branches between the rays solitary. (See Fig.4 for this fact.) (13)
13. (B) Plant greenish, loosely packed in carpets or small mounds of more shady and/or mineral-rich habitats (See Fig.1 for this fact.); stem leaves fringed to tattered across apex (See Fig.4 for this fact.); terminal bud at center of apical head (viewed from above) clearly visible.
14. (B) Terminal bud visible but not conspicuous compared to the large apical head; stem leaves tongue-shaped, not broader at tip than base, margin fringed or notched just at apex (See Fig.4 for this fact.); stem stiff. (Sphagnum girgensohnii, P337)

Fig.3 Picture of branch leaves

Fig.4 Stem leaf

Fig.5 Single plant with ruler

Fig.6 Branch leaf under a microscope

Fig.7 Stem leaf under a microscope

Fig.8 Single branch

Fig.9 Cell structure

Description of the species:
Appearance: Plants are large, 8-20 cm tall, stiff, in  extensive loose carpets; green, or occasionally yellowish or brownish green, never with any hint of red or pink. The wiry stem snaps crisply like a celery stalk when bent double. The apical head is flat-topped, distinctly star-shaped as viewed from above, and has a visible but small terminal bud. The spreading branches extend laterally at right angles to the stem and then curve downward with long, slender tips.
Leaves: Branch leaves are 1-2 mm long, lance-shaped, margins without teeth. Stem leaves are 1 mm long, tongue-shaped with a broadly rounded fringed apex. No midrib.
Capsules: Uncommon, brown to black, spherical, about 2 mm in diameter.
Habitat: Common and widespread in our region; a shade-loving species found on moist soil and humus in a variety of forest types.
Microscopic Features: Green cells of branch leaves are exposed more broadly on the concave surface. Pores are abundant on convex surface, fewer on concave. Stem leaves have broad borders of narrow cells on either side of a sieve-like area of enlarged cells at the base (See Fig.7 for this fact.).

Collecting and keying story:

On the day we went to Triangle Lake, our major target were the sphagnum. There were so many of them there so we each collected a sample as soon as we see any sphagnum--and that was how I got my specimen #5. Then I see this species that look slightly different.
They look greener.
I picked up some and went to Willa and asked her if this might be another species. She said, "could be."
So I collected it.
And it turns out that this is a different species.
After I keyed this out, I was kind of worried since the size of the plant does not really match with the description. Then Willa told me that I shouldn't worry too much about the plant size.
So I guess this is it.


Phylum, order and family name cited from:
http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=spgi70

Keys cited from:

  Common Mosses of the Northeast and Appalachians by Karl B. McKnight, Joseph R. Rohrer, Kirsten McKnight Ward and Warren J. Perdrizet. This book is in the series of the Princeton Field Guides and was published by Princeton University Press with copyright @ 2013.