Both Sphagnum divinum and Sphagnum medium belong to the Sphagnum subgenus Sphagnum. For a key to S. divinum, S. medium and S. magellanicum, see Hassel et al. 2018.
S. divinum and medium can be hard to distinguish. There are even completely green plants that can look very similar to Sphagnum palustre. -> Microscopic identification is needed in that case.
| Feature |
Sphagnum divinum |
Sphagnum medium |
| Overall appearance (field) |
Robust, softer plants with a "fuller" look |
Slender, denser plants |
| Color (field) |
Variable green to reddish, pinkish |
Reddish to deep pink, sometimes brownish |
| Branch leaf shape (microscope) |
Broad ovate leaves, wide at base |
Narrower, gradually tapering leaves |
| Hyalocyst pores (microscope) |
Larger, more numerous on convex surface |
Smaller, fewer on convex surface |
| Chlorocyst cell walls (microscope) |
Thicker walls, strongly bordered cells |
Thinner walls, less distinct borders |
characters adapted from Hassel et al. 2018
Ecology and Habitat
Sphagnum divinum is a habitat generalist. It can be found in a variety of settings, from forested peatlands to wetter heaths and mire edges across the northern hemisphere (Hassel et al., 2018).
Sphagnum medium, by contrast, favors ombrotrophic (rain-fed) bogs and is particularly common in the Atlantic regions of northern Europe and North America.
Sphagnum divinum
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| S. divinum in forest fen margin, that almost looks like S. papillosum |
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| Sphagnum divinum in a forest fen, soc. S. fallax and S. angustifolium |
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| Habitat of S. divinum in northern Bavaria, Pine forest over Sand with periodical wet depressions |
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| S. divinum growing at a forest path |
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| Habitat of S. divinum in the Burgwald forest in Hesse, Germany, at a seepage on a forest road |
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| Sphagnum divinum in a very shaded habitat in Hesse, Germany |
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| Siltation fen in the Burgwald forest, Hesse, Germany, S. divinum grows in the forested margins of the fen and in Hummocks in drier parts. |
Sphagnum medium
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| Branch detail of S. medium |
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| Sphagnum medium in an ombothrophic bog on a slope in SW-Finland, together with Sphagnum fuscum |
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| Habitat of S. medium in SW-Finland |
References
Hassel, K., Kyrkjeeide, M. O., Yousefi, N., Prestø, T., Stenøien, H. K., Shaw, A. J., & Flatberg, K. I. (2018). Sphagnum divinum (sp. nov.) and S. medium Limpr. and their relationship to S. magellanicum Brid. Lindbergia, 41(08001), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.25227/linbg.01045
