Silesia, Thuringia, Prussia, Salzburg, Holland. England; Frequent in Lancashire,
Yorkshire, and Westmoreland; found also in other counties and in Scotland and
Ireland.
N. A m e r i c a .— Has been found occasionally.
A fte r the examination o f many specimens from Wilson himself,
and from all parts o f the kingdom, I feel compelled reluctantly to
follow Russow in reducing Sph. rubellum to o n e . o f the long
chain o f varieties which constitute the polymorphous Sph. aculifo
lium.
W e may briefly consider the various points of distinction referred
to b y Wilson and Schimper.
1. T h e small size and delicacy o f the plants.— T h is condition
is only relative, as specimens o f rubellum 6 inches high
are not unfrequent, while other varieties o f acutifolium are
found o f even smaller size than ordinary rubellum.
2. T h e dioicous inflorescence.— T h is is the strongest point for
the specific character o f Sph. rubellum, but other varieties
o f aculifolium are also dioicous, nay, I believe at times
its typical form is so.
3. T h e larger non-fibrose stem leaves.— A reference to the
plates will suffice to show that stem leaves o f rubellum
are not larger than those o f typical aculifolium; and again
in rubellum,•th.xezds are frequently present, and sometimes
they are quite wanting in the cells o f the stem leaves of
actilifolium.
4. T h e broader elliptical branch leaves.— T h e lowest leaves o f
the divergent branches are ve ry broad and obtuse, and
those from the middle moderately s o ; in no case have I seen
them truly elliptical, and often on the same plant others
will be found moderately pointed, while other varieties,
e .g . lenue, arclum, fuscum, &c., have them quite as
obtuse, neither is their subsecund direction constant.
Sufficient, I think, has therefore been advanced to show that
Sph. rubellum possesses no character o f sufficient weight to entitle it
to specific distinction ; the upper branches are usually twisted, but
this is b y no means constant, and occasionally we find specimens
with ve ry little admixture o f red, being either dull green or a pale
brown with only the comal branches purple, and for this form I
have used the name ambiguum.
Var. e. lenue, B r a i th w .
Stems elongated, slender, la xly tu fte d ; the branches arcuate,
decurved, v e ry slender, rather short.
Stem leaves ve ry broadly bordered, large, ovate, truncate,
lacerate at rounded apex, rarely fibrose.
Branch leaves small, short, green, and purple, less densely
imbricated, ovate with a rounded point. Plants dioicous.
S y n o n .— Sph. acutifolium var. y. ietieUum, S c h im p . Torfm. p. 57, t . xiii. y ; Synops.
p. 673, et ed. 2, p. 826. Russow, Beitr. Torfm. p. 44. M i l d e , Bry. Siles. p. 381.
Sph. tenellum, Klingg r. in Sehr, der K. Phys. CEk. Gesel. zu Königs. 1872,
p. 4.
Sph. acutifolium var. tenue, B r a i t h w . Sphag. Brit. Exsic. n. 37.
H a b .— In deep bogs in mountain districts.
E u r o p e .— Silesia, Bunzlau (Limpricht); Hochwald, near Waldenburg (Zimmerman)
; Lapland, Lycksele (Angström) ; Prussia (Klinggraff). Westmoreland,
Skeggles (Barnes) ; Yorkshire, Bleaberry Gill, Goathland (Anderson).
In form o f lea f this comes v e ry close to rubellum, and would
have to be transferred to it, if that is to continue a species.
Var. quinquefarium, Lind b.
Plants slender, 4 -6 in. high, with a hemispherical dense capitulum;
pale green above, pale yellowish green below, more or less intermixed
with light purple.
Stem leaves with a broad base, deltoid, obtusely pointed, and
with five teeth at apex ; the cells without fibres.
Divergent branches spreading, fle xu o s e ; the leaves when dry
distinctly 5-ranked, divergent or somewhat recurved, small, obtuse,
5-toothed.
S y n o n .— B r a i t h w . Sphag. Brit. Exsic. n . 3 7 b ( su b var. tenue).
H a b .— Subalpine bogs in woods.
E u r o p e .— Finland (Lindberg). Ireland; In a damp pine-wood a t Glenfarne,
Leitrim (Dr. Moore, May, 1875).
Th is beautiful plant stands near to var. tenue, but is much
more robust and o f softer texture, and is beautifully variegated with
pale yellow-green and rose co lou r; the most distinctive character,
however, is that o f the 5-ranked, widely divergent leaves, most
conspicuous in the dry state, which are also larger and more
acuminate.
Var. t], gracile, Russow.
Stems slender, firm and rigid, 4 -6 in. high, pale red and green
above, reddish brown below. Stem leaves obtuse, 5-toothed,