Sphagnum contortum explained

Sphagnum contortum is a species of moss reported in North America and Europe. NatureServe marked its global conservation status as Secure.

Common names

In English, it goes by the common names contorted sphagnum, twisted sphagnum moss,^[1] and twisted bog-moss.

Description

The species is dioicious^[2] and sporophyte is rare in this species. S. contortum also has capsules^[3] but it is unknown if S. contortum in Great Britain or Ireland have this.^[4]

Distribution and habitat

It occurs in minerotrophic habitats, riparian areas,^[5] peatlands, and rarely in open wet woodlands. It also occurs at moderate to low elevations and is not shade tolerant.

Distribution

Sphagnum contortum is frequent in northern and western parts of the British Isles but rare in southern and eastern parts.

It also occurs in various parts of the United States. Like in California, it occurs in the north-western parts of the state even in the Klamath Mountains.^[6] NatureServe lists it as critically imperiled in States like Washington, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, and Montana (it only occurs in Flathead County).^[7]

In Canada, S. contortum is widely spread out through the province of Quebec where it is listed as apparently secure by NatureServe. But it is listed as vulnerable in other provinces like Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario.

It also occurs in other countries like Bulgaria^[8] or Turkey,^[9] and the Czech Republic.^[10]

Response to herbicide exposure

In a study of the effect of the herbicide Asulam on moss growth, Sphagnum contortum was shown to be the second most sensitive to the herbicide out of the 18 species tested. The study concluded that it was sensitive to Asulam exposure.^[11]

Notes and References

1. Web site: NatureServe Explorer 2.0 . 2022-05-22 . explorer.natureserve.org.
2. Book: Smith, A. J. E. . The Moss Flora of Britain and Ireland . 2004-09-23 . Cambridge University Press . 978-0-521-54672-0 . en.
3. Web site: Sphagnum contortum in Flora of North America @ efloras.org . 2022-05-23 . www.efloras.org.
4. Web site: Sphagnum contortum . 2022-05-23 . British Bryological Society . en-GB.
5. Book: Ayotte . Gilles . Sphagnum Mosses of Eastern Canada: Biology — Anatomy — Morphology — Herbarium conservation techniques and microscopic preparations . Rochefort . Line . 2020-12-16 . Editions JFD . 978-2-89799-093-0 . ar.
6. Web site: California Moss eFlora Treatment Page . 2022-05-23 . ucjeps.berkeley.edu.
7. Web site: Webmaster . David Ratz . Contorted Sphagnum Moss - Montana Field Guide . 2022-05-24 . fieldguide.mt.gov . en.
8. Hájková . Petra . Hájek . Michal . 2007-03-01 . Sphagnum distribution patterns along environmental gradients in Bulgaria . Journal of Bryology . 29 . 1 . 18–26 . 10.1179/174328207X160577 . 83842170 . 0373-6687.
9. Book: KURSCHNER . Harald . Bryophyte Locality Data From the Near and Middle East 1775-2019 Vol. 6 . ERDAĞ . Adnan . 2021-07-12 . Hiperlink Eğitim İletişim Yayın Gıda Sanayi ve Pazarlama Tic. Ltd. Şti. . 978-625-7280-78-5 . de.
10. Book: Chytrý . Milan . Flora and Vegetation of the Czech Republic . Danihelka . Jiří . Kaplan . Zdeněk . Pyšek . Petr . 2017-11-10 . Springer . 978-3-319-63181-3 . en.
11. Exposure to Asulox Inhibits the Growth of Mosses . Annals of Botany . 2003 . 92 . 4 . 547-556 . J. K. . Rowntree . K. F. . Lawton . F. J. . Rumsey . E. . Sheffield.