Sphagnum Identification Key

Green Pale green Yellowish Ochre / brownish Rust brown Reddish Deep red Purplish Greenish Yellow brown Brown Brownish green

Compact hummock Loose cushion / lawn Aquatic Feathery Densely branched Loosely branched Branchless Few branches

Slender Small Small to medium-sized Medium-sized Medium-sized to robust Robust Robust to large Large Very large

Five-pointed star Not star-shaped

Compact / dense Lax Five-pointed / stellate Hemispheric Slightly convex

Distinct Small Absent

Distinct and visible Thick Indistinct Hidden by curved branches Not visible

2 3 4 4–5

1 2 2–3 3

Branches dimorphic Branches monomorphic Spreading branches mostly 2 Spreading branches mostly 3 Spreading branches 4-5 Pendent branches 1 Pendent branches 2 Pendent branches 2-3 Branch fascicles spreading Branch fascicles imbricate

3 3-4 4 4-5 4-8 7-13

Distinctly dimorphic Weakly dimorphic Dimorphic to monomorphic Monomorphic

1 2 3 4 5

Numerous Scattered Absent

Present Absent

Pale Yellow Brown Dark brown to black Green Greenish Slightly brownish Reddish

Well differentiated Mostly differentiated Indistinctly differentiated Not differentiated from wood cylinder One-layered Locally two-layered at most Two-layered Multi-layered

Outer layer distinctly widened Outer layer strongly widened Outer layer not distinctly widened Inner layers distinctly less widened

Pores absent Pores scattered 1-2 pores per cell 3-9 pores per cell Numerous pores One apical pore per cell Wall thinnings only Pores not wider than one third of hyaline cell width 2-4 pores per cell Rich in pores Poor in pores Up to 30 % of cells with a pore

Pale Yellow Yellowish brown Brown Dark brown Blackish Green or reddish Red to orange-red

Triangular Lingulate Triangular-lingulate Ovate-lingulate Spatulate

Rounded Pointed / acute Cucullate (hooded) Erose Broadly fringed Fringed at margin only

Present Absent Strongly widened at base

Present Absent Partial / in upper part only

Less than 0.8 mm 0.8-1.0 mm 1.0-1.3 mm 1.3-1.8 mm 1.8-2.5 mm 2.5-3.0 mm 3.0-4.5 mm More than 4.5 mm

Rounded triangular Elongated triangular Shortly lingulate Broadly lingulate Ovate Ovate-lanceolate Rounded spatulate Widely spatulate Isosceles triangular Equilateral triangular Broadly triangular Narrowly ovate Inverted-ovate Lingulate to spatulate

Rounded-truncated Constricted to a point Not constricted to a point Coarsely dentate Distinctly fringy-ripped Not fringed Broadly fringed across entire apex Fringed only in small range

Narrow Moderately widened Strongly widened at base Widest below middle Widest at leaf base Widest above middle Consisting of diminished fibrillose hyaline cells Indistinct Narrow down to the leaf base Relatively wide Widened towards the leaf base

Only apical margin Down to lateral margins At least one fifth of leaf length Down to half the leaf Down to upper fourth of leaf Down to upper third of leaf Nearly entire apex

Mostly undivided Once divided One to two times divided Several times divided Mixed divided and undivided Rarely divided Scattered division in the upper half

Mostly without fibrils Only rudiments Scattered in upper part Regularly in upper part Down to middle of leaf Down to leaf base At least in fibrillose part

Pores absent Few pores Numerous pores Large pores Small pores Pores in upper part Pores on dorsal side Pores on ventral side

Undifferentiated cells Diminished hyaline cells Fibrillose hyaline cells

Regularly present Lacking or very few

Present Absent

Ovate Ovate-lanceolate Lanceolate Lingulate Fusiform

Acute Acuminate Obtuse Truncate Reflexed

Entire Serrulate Serrate

Distinctly 5-ranked Not 5-ranked Squarrose when wet Spreading Imbricate Spreading to imbricate

Present Absent

Branch leaves shorter than stem leaves Branch leaves about as long as stem leaves Branch leaves 1.5 times as long as stem leaves Branch leaves much longer than stem leaves Branch leaves 4 times as long as wide Branch leaves a quarter longer than stem leaves

Less than 0.8 mm 0.8-1.0 mm 1.0-1.4 mm 1.4-1.8 mm 1.8-2.3 mm 2.3-3.0 mm 3.0-5.0 mm More than 5.0 mm

Very narrow Narrow Medium-sized Broad Very broad Long and narrow Broadest at or near middle Broadest in lower third Broadest near base

Broadly ovate Elongated lanceolate Broadly lanceolate Triangular-lingulate Orbicular Tumid Abruptly constricted to leaf tip Gradually pointed Snap-off leaf tip present Roundish to ovate Narrowly lanceolate Broadly ovate-lanceolate Elongated ovate

Broadly rounded-truncated Narrowly truncated Abruptly constricted Not truncated Rather short Denticulate Leaf tip reflexed Cucullate Sharp Gradually constricted Roughened on the dorsal side

Entire Serrulate Serrate Dentate Only few denticles at outermost leaf tip Resorption furrow present Resorption furrow absent

Absent Present Close to leaf tip Below leaf apex Round and strongly ringed Dense rows near leaf margin

Wide-meshed Relatively close-meshed Close-meshed

Mostly less than 5 Mostly more than 5

Present Absent

Ventral (concave) only Dorsal (convex) only Both surfaces Absent

Large / oval Small / round Strongly ringed Elliptic Tiny Medium-sized Ringed Centred In the cell angles Along the commissures Variably arranged

Smooth Papillae Comb fibrils Foveate-reticulate Reticulate Vermicular Irregularly vermicular Ring structures Faintly papillose Delicately papillose

Very narrow Narrow Medium-sized Broad Very broad Broader than chlorophyllose cells Not enlarged compared with median cells Short and wide Evenly wide in the lower third Broader in the lower third than in the middle Long and narrow

Few Numerous Very numerous Several large pores Mostly one pore per cell 1-2 additional loose rows Many small pores along commissures Ranked commissural pores

In cell angles Along commissures In upper half of leaf In distal leaf In proximal leaf Near leaf margin On dorsal side in middle of cells On ventral side in middle of cells

Absent Present Tiny Visible only after intensive staining Several pseudopores Incomplete pseudopores

Distinctly enlarged Not or hardly enlarged

Undivided Divided

Absent Few or none Few to many small pores Numerous Numerous in the upper half Only near the leaf margin Few pseudopores

Rich in pores Poor in pores Numerous Up to 2 pores per cell One row along the middle of the cells Two rows along the middle of the cells Dense rows of ranked commissural pores Net of differently sized pores

With tiny strongly ringed pores Without tiny strongly ringed pores

Triangular Trapezoidal Elliptic Fusiform Ovate

Enclosed (both sides) Exposed ventral (concave) Exposed dorsal (convex) Exposed both sides

Inverted-triangular Inverted-trapezoidal Rectangular Orbicular Narrowly triangular Equilateral inverted-triangular Triangular to trapezoid Elliptic to trapezoid Barrel-shaped Elliptic to narrowly ovate Elliptic to barrel-shaped Inverted-ovate Spindle-shaped Rectangular to trapezoid

Centered Deeply enclosed Connate by hyaline cells Broadly exposed ventrally Broadly exposed dorsally Narrowly exposed Equally broad on both sides Reaching surface Only slightly exposed Approximated to the dorsal side Approximated to the ventral side Broader ventrally than dorsally Broader dorsally than ventrally Deeply enclosed ventrally Not or scarcely enclosed ventrally

Thin-walled Thickened Thickened on ventral wall Thickened on dorsal wall Adjacent hyaline-cell wall thickened

One-layered Partly two-layered Two- or multi-layered at least in parts

Both with remarkable large pores Both elliptic to trapezoid Both inverted-triangular to trapezoid Hyaline cells with small pores Hyaline cells with remarkable large pores

Small, with a distinct zone of connated hyaline cells Larger, adjacent hyaline cells only shortly connated or separated

Only by lateral hyaline cells Also by vertical, parallel oriented hyaline cells

Differentiated into chlorophyllose and hyaline cells Almost only chlorophyllose cells

Present Absent Short-necked Long-necked Clearly projecting Neckless / without necks More or less distinctly differentiated

Present Absent Numerous Scattered One apical pore per cell Cells with wall thinnings only Apical and slightly protruding

One-layered Locally two-layered at most Mostly two-layered Two- to multi-layered Several layers

Present Absent Few and very delicate

Ombrotrophic (raised bog) Minerotrophic (fen) Both Aquatic

Submerged Wet Moist Damp / drier

Hummock Lawn Aquatic Shade form