Taxonomic investigations on some British Sphagna I.Sphagnum suhsecundumsensu lato

Abstract

Abstract An examination of eighty-six samples of Sphagnum subsecundum sensu lato, using principal components analysis, discriminant analysis and cultivation experiments, has shown that the samples fall into two well-defined groups corresponding to S. subsecundum var. inundatum and S. subsecundum var. auriculatum. The best characters for separating these include the relative number of pores on the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the stem-leaves, the form of the branches and branch-leaves, and the proportion of the length of the stem-leaf with fibrils in the hyaline cells. The results provide limited evidence in favour of the inclusion of bavaricum and rufescens within var. inundatum and var. auriculatum respectively. The status of S. subsecundum var. subsecundum requires further study.