Author | Hill, M.O. |
Year | 1992 |
Title | Sphagnum: a field guide |
ISBN | 1 873701 14 4 |
Type | Book/Report |
How Complete | all the British species known at the time |
Source | 31pp, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough |
Illustrations | Line drawings of salient features accompany the text |
Review (by Malcolm Storey) | A short guide to help the non-specialist to identify Sphagnum, or provide a handy aide-memoire to the more experienced. A laudable aim: these are the most significant organisms in acid habitats. People are often put off by their supposed difficulty, but at least the larger species are easy to identify with a hand lens, and once learnt can be recognised at sight. The booklet starts with 5 pages of glossary explaining the structure of the Sphagnum plant, half a dozen terms and pictures of leaf shapes. This is followed by the General Key (ie Key to Sections), followed by the individual Section keys. Each of these starts with a list of characteristic features and a few words of advice. |
Examine | with x8 or x10 hand lens ( with x15 or x20 hand lens is also useful) |
Specimen Preparation | Fresh material |
Identification difficulty | Generally strightforward, but Section Acutifolia is more tricky. Plants growing in shade may give trouble. Microscopy sometimes needed. |
Notes & Purpose | Status | Taxon | English | Classification |
---|---|---|---|---|
For identification | Current | Sphagnum | bog mosses | Plantae: Sphagnales: Sphagnaceae |
Unless otherwise expressly stated, all original material on the BioInfo website by Malcolm Storey is licensed under the above Creative Commons Licence.