Pacific Sphagnum (Sphagnum pacificum)
Description
Sphagnum pacificum is a leaf moss species described by Kjeld Ivar Flatberg 1989. Sphagnum pacificum is part of the genus White Moss , and the Sphagnaceae family . No subspecies are listed in the Catalog of Life . Sphagnum is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as peat moss. Accumulations of Sphagnum can store water, since both living and dead plants can hold large quantities of water . Individual peat moss plants consist of a main stem, with tightly arranged clusters of branch fascicles usually consisting of two or three spreading branches and two to four hanging branches. The top of the plant, or capitulum, has compact clusters of young branches. Along the stem are scattered leaves of various shapes, named stem leaves; the shape varies according to species. The leaves consist of two kinds of cells; small, green, living cells (chlorophyllose cells), and large, clear, structural, dead cells (hyaline cells). The latter have the large water-holding capacity.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Bryophyta
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Class: Sphagnopsida
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Order: Sphagnales
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Family: Sphagnaceae
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Genus: Sphagnum
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