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red sphagnum id

Hey, I was granted permission to collect some sphagnum on private property, and based on my lurking there are some sphagnum "guru's" out there. Its pretty compact and red, I'll post a pic in like an hour or so. Any help in species id would be awesome! let me know what you think
Travis
 
Compact and red... That described almost any red sphag species you will find. ;)

A picture will help and the fact that it is red will narrow down choices, but it is almost impossible to ID sphag with hundreds of species out there that look almost identical. You need a microscope to examine the structure to be able to figure out what species it is, or at least have a shot at figuring it out.

I am a novice sphag collector and I just mark the original location it was collected, place it was bought, ect. and that is how I ID it.
 
8191275941

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oooo purdy

silly flicker lol
 
Look exactly like the red sphag I have!... But mine is from Alabama and yours is from New York or one of those surrounding states... That really proves how much all sphag looks like other members of the genus! :p

I'd say just mark the exact location you got it at and once you've cultured it for a while, write down the growing conditions it likes, dormancy, ect.

BTW, if you got that from the wild, the best thing to do is drown it. It won't hurt it. Just fill the culture container with RO/DI and let it sit for an hour or two, drain and let it dry out over night, then redo the process the next day. Do this for a couple of days, maybe you could squeeze two floods into one day. This will kill most pests on it so that they don't attack your plants. :)
 
I found it in new york on the side of a mountain right in the path of a spring flowing from the top, Im gonna have to get a picture, its beautiful up there . I put it in a tray and half flooded it and put it in my unheated garage because it was frozen when i found it so i figure nice and frosty would be best. If you have any advice on dormancy i would love to learn your methods
Travis
 
I found it in new york on the side of a mountain right in the path of a spring flowing from the top, Im gonna have to get a picture, its beautiful up there . I put it in a tray and half flooded it and put it in my unheated garage because it was frozen when i found it so i figure nice and frosty would be best. If you have any advice on dormancy i would love to learn your methods
Travis

Haven't had mine through dormancy yet, but the main species that I grow turns brown, white and minty green in the winter. You can't grow it in a terrarium long term. If it was growing outside in New York and you live in New York, just stick the cultures outside in the sun and keep them moist.
 
ask Wireman, he's the most knowledgeable person on TF when it comes to sphagnum, at least from what I've seen.
 
  • #10
It looks like it's probably Sphagnum rubellum. Then again, New York has a huge Sphagnum diversity and I'm not that familiar with all of the species up North.
 
  • #11
Once again many of the characters used to identify Sphagnum species are near microscopic. Trying to ID Sphagnum species from photographs that do not reveal these characteristics is going to be difficult or in some cases guesswork. If you knew exactly what species have been identified in the location where the specimens have been collected you might be able to narrow it down.

Classification Criteria of Sphagnum Species

Classification of sphagna takes experience, and is sometimes impossible without the aid of a microscope. The following criteria are applied to distinguish between species:

  • Number of branches per fascicle
  • Number of pendent and spreading branches, and their degree of differentiation
  • Shape of branch leaves (squarrose, hooded, etc.)
  • Direction of stem leaves (upward, downward or horizontal)
  • Shape of the head
  • Size and prominence of the terminal bud
  • Secondary pigments
  • Shape and location of chlorocytes
  • Spiral fortification of hyalocytes
  • Number, size, and fortification of pores
  • Structure of hyalocyte cell walls (papillose or other ornamentations)

Source http://homepage.univie.ac.at/eva.temsch/classif.html

The plant and stem color, the shape of the branch and stem leaves, and the shape of the green cells are all characteristics used to identify peat moss to species. Sphagnum taxonomy has been very contentious since the early 1900s; most species require microscopic dissection to be identified. In the field, most Sphagnum species can be identified to one of four major sections of the genus—classification and descriptions follow Andrus 2007 (Flora North America)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphagnum
Microscopic features can be observed by using a concentrated aqueous or alcohol solution of Crystal Violet. A 50% solution of alcohol and Methylene Blue or Safranin Red can be used, but these usually do not stain features such as minute pores, fibrils, wall thinnings, and surface sculpture on the chlorophyllous cells. The number and kinds of branches should be determined, individual stem and branch leaves (from the middle of a spreading branch) should be examined from the distal 2 cm of the plant, and the superficial surface of stem cortical cells may need examination as well as cross sections of branch leaves and stems.

Source: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=50&taxon_id=130947
Of the 74 species in North America listed in the USDA database about a dozen are labeled as threatened. These may be protected by laws in your state. So collect with caution.
 
  • #12
Didn't even think that it might be threatened, thank you. I only grabbed a handful so I will not collect anymore until I am able to identify it. I guess to the botany lab I go!
Thank you,
Travis
 
  • #15
It was actually a big pain in the a**, i had to learn more than i care to learn at one sitting to be able to understand the key before i even started. Then nothing was ever clear on the first mount so i had to mount it over and over. I would like to avoid that again if i can, so i think ill stick to pre-identified sphag lol
 
  • #16
This is when it helps being an artist. I've been trained to see very subtly details, even without a microscope.
 
  • #17
Lol, do you know anything about this species? I couldn't find any real info on it other than range
 
  • #18
Lol, do you know anything about this species? I couldn't find any real info on it other than range

All that I know is that it's a red Sphagnum. It's not very common where I live.
 
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