Montana Field Guide

Plants: Acrocarpous (Vitt 1988). Growing in soft, upright and open clumps, pale green or green with yellow tones (FNA 2014) above, brownish below. Stems frequently forked (Lawton 1971), 5-30 mm tall, bearing rhizoids (FNA 2014).

Leaves: Larger and more dense at the top of the stem (Crum & Anderson et al. 1981), a little bent and twisted when dry, spreading when moist (Lawton 1971), 2.5-3.5 mm in length, widely obovate; margins smooth or dentate above, without a border; apex with a short or long narrow acumen; costa extending into acumen but not reaching the apex (FNA 2014).

Leaf Cells: Cells of mid-leaf diamond-shaped to 6-sided; upper cells near the apex 1-2:1 (Smith 1980); lower laminal cells oblong (FNA 2014); marginal cells somewhat colored in 1 or 2 vague rows (Crum & Anderson et al. 1981), frequently longer than the upper cells (Lawton 1971).

Fruit ripens in summer (FNA 2014).

S. sphaericum differs from other North American Splachnum species as the capsule neck (hypophysis) is only slightly wider than the rest of the capsule rather than forming a “skirt” at the top of the seta. Juvenile sporophytes of other Splachnum species, which have yet to turn other colors than green, thus resemble the mature sporophyte of S. sphaericum (before it ages and dries to purple) (FNA 2014).

Tetraplodon mnioides has a similar hypophysis but mostly grows in drier conditions. Its obovate leaves do not taper much before the acumen as do those of S. sphaeroides (FNA 2014).

Droppings of big boreal ungulates (e.g., moose) in boggy areas (Elliott 2016). Elevation: low to high (FNA 2014).

Dioicous. Seta 1.5-10 cm tall, slightly bent or twisted, yellow and eventually red-tinged. Capsule red with orange tones; theca 2 mm in length; capsule neck (where it unites with the seta) nearly globose to ovoid, hardly broader than the capsule, green when ripe, becoming russet and creased with age; peristome double, the 16 exostome teeth fused in pairs, brown with with orange tinges (FNA 2014).