Plants: moderate-sized and fairly strong-stemmed; green, yellow to yellowish brown; capitulum 5Âradiate in shade forms to hemispherical in open grown or drier growing forms. Stems: pale green to pale brown, sometimes with red branch bases; superficial cortex of 2 layers of enlarged, clearly differentiated and thin-walled cells. Stem: leaves triangular to lingulate-triangular, 0.8–1.3 mm; typically appressed; apex acute to apiculate; hyaline cells efibrillose and nonseptate to rarely septate. Branches: straight and somewhat tapered, usually 5-ranked; leaves little elongate at the distal branch end. Branch: fascicles with 2 spreading and 2–3 pendent branches. Branch: stems green but often reddish at proximal end, with cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells. Branch: leaves ovate to narrowly ovate-lanceolate; (1.1–)1.4–1.8(–3.1) mm; slightly undulate and sharply recurved when dry, somewhat subsecund; margins entire; hyaline cells on convex surface with usually 1 round pore on apical end, on concave surface with wall thinnings in the cell ends and angles; chlorophyllous cells broadly triangular in transverse section and very deeply enclosed on the concave surface. Sexual: condition dioicous. Spores: 19–25 µm; finely papillose on both surfaces.
Forested and open poor fen habitats, often as a ruderal species in extensive mats. low to moderate elevations. B.C., Alaska, Oreg., Wash.
Sporophytes in Sphagnum pacificum are uncommon. See discussion under 26. S. brevifolium. Characters of the spores are taken from Flatberg†s description.