Re: Red sphagnum

From: Erik van Zuilekom (9623426@rgo.sun.ac.za)
Date: Wed Oct 28 1998 - 05:12:01 PST


Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 15:12:01 +200
From: "Erik van Zuilekom" <9623426@rgo.sun.ac.za>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg3431$foo@default>
Subject: Re: Red sphagnum

Greetings all!

Yesterday
> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1998 10:32:46 -0500 (EST)
   Tim Williams wrote:

> Mark Pogany writes:
>
> >I recently received a small tuft of sphagnum from a friend. He was hiki=
ng in
> >West Virginia and while "in the bush" found a small bog containing larg=
e
> >amounts of very red, coarse sphagnum.
>
> You have Sphagnum magellanicum. Of the dozen or so species of sphagnum
> in West Virginia, this is the easiest one to recognize, it is almost
> always red or purple tinged. In the deep shade of a laurel thicket
> it is more green and purple. In full sun in an open bog it is more
> golden and red. It keeps its coloration under cultivation.

Any reason why it cant be Sphagnum rabellium ? This I think, due to
the fact that it is very coarse (archaic?). Here in South Africa we
still have the remnances of the coarse as well as the finer
(predominantly sphagnum recurvum) sphagnums, though the coarser seems
to die off in cultivation if not allowed to dry out completely during
the hot summers (to a small moist ball in the centre of the
"mounds"), whilst the finer has continious growth.
I found the red/purplish moss in Hermanus area to be limited to the
waterfall areas or seapage holes directly associated with a slope.
Only the moss being directly sprayed due to the waterfalls or
experiencing floodings during winter, actually have the red/purple
colour, this itself only in direct sunlight.

> All other WVa sphagnums are all green and most require fruiting
> structures for positive id.

This leads to another question, I have asked before. Has anyone had
sphagnum producing fruiting structures in cultivation? It is rare
enough itself here in the wild South Africa...

Happy growing!!
  Erik
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*Erik van Zuilekom* E-mail:9623426@rgo.sun.ac.za
117 Panorama Drive Phone: (027) 021 99-1807
Stellenryk 7530 Fax: (027) 021 99-8108
Cape Town, South Africa.
"Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum imm=
ane mittam"
                  "Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditiones habes"
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