Shkurko, A.V., O.I. Kuznetsova & V.E. Fedosov . 2023. Sphagnum warnstorfii complex in Northern Asia

Arctoa (2023) 32: 176–188

doi: 10.15298/arctoa.32.15

An identity of the North Asian Sphagnum plants, which combine macroscopical aspect of S. rubellum and microscopical traits characteristic to S. warnstorfii, was assessed using molecular phylogenetic and morphological data. Molecular phylogenetic reconstruction based on RAPD-A, RAPD-B and trnG sequences found a lineage sister to S. warnstorfii, which includes two highly supported lineages, well-defined morphologically. One of these lineages comprises plants different from the other red Sphagnum sect. Acutifolia species in having (1) often slightly curved branches with 5-ranked leaves, (2) triangular-lingulate stem leaves with faint fibrils at apical part, and (3) small, rounded-elliptical pores at apical part of the branch leaves at convex surface. Morphological traits and ecological preferences of these plants agree S. talbotianum R.E. Andrus described from Alaska and also correspond to the arctic morphotype of S. warnstorfii revealed and described by Yousefi et al. Therefore we refer such Asian plants to S. talbotianum, and described and illustrate them based on material from North Asia. The plants from the second lineage differ from S. warnstorfii s.str. and S. talbotianum by lingulate stem leaves with more lacerate apex and the large round pores at apical part or sometimes scattered throughout at concave side of the branch leaves.