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Sphagnum cuspidatum

Ehrh. ex Hoffm.

Toothed Peatmoss

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.122183
Element CodeNBMUS6Z080
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryNonvascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumBryophyta
ClassSphagnopsida
OrderSphagnales
FamilySphagnaceae
GenusSphagnum
Synonyms
Sphagnum cuspidatum var. cuspidatum
Other Common Names
Feathery Sphagnum Moss (EN) Sphaigne cuspidée (FR) toothed sphagnum (EN)
Concept Reference
Anderson, L.E. 1990. A checklist of Sphagnum in North America north of Mexico. The Bryologist 93(4):500-501.
Taxonomic Comments
This is the record for the narrow concept of Sphagnum cuspidatum following FNA (vol. 27, 2007), not including S. viride. In contrast, Buck and Goffinet (2024) include S. viride in S. cuspidatum, following Robinson et al. (2024). Also differing, S. viride is treated as S. cuspidatum var. viride by Lönnell and Hassel (2018) and Brinda and Atwood (2026).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2015-05-27
Change Date1991-04-29
Range Extent Comments
Occurs in N.B., Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.), N.S., Ont., Que.; Ala., Conn., Del., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Kans., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Pa., R.I., S.C., Tenn., Vt., Va., W.Va., Wis.; Europe (FNA vol. 27, 2007)
Ecology & Habitat
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS4Yes
ManitobaSUYes
LabradorS3Yes
Northwest TerritoriesSUYes
New BrunswickS5Yes
SaskatchewanSNRYes
Nova ScotiaS5Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS4Yes
QuebecS5Yes
British ColumbiaSNANo
Prince Edward IslandS3Yes
United StatesNNR
ProvinceRankNative
West VirginiaSNRYes
VermontS3Yes
New YorkS3Yes
North CarolinaS4Yes
MaineSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
VirginiaS5Yes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
MontanaSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
IllinoisSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
DelawareS5Yes
South CarolinaSNRYes
MissouriS1Yes
IndianaSNRYes
FloridaSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS2Yes
New JerseySNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
TennesseeS1Yes
KansasSNRYes
MississippiSNRYes
WisconsinS4Yes
Plant Characteristics
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Three RidgesGeorge Washington National Forest4,745
References (6)
  1. Anderson, L.E. 1990. A checklist of <i>Sphagnum </i>in North America north of Mexico. The Bryologist 93(4):500-501.
  2. Brinda, J.C., and J.J. Atwood. 2026. A Synopsis of <i>Sphagnum</i>. The Bryophyte Nomenclator. Online. Available: https://www.bryonames.org/synonymy?search=Sphagnum (accessed 2026).
  3. Buck, W.R. and B. Goffinet. 2024. A new checklist of the mosses of the continental United States and Canada. The Bryologist 127(4): 484-549.
  4. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2007b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 27. Bryophytes: Mosses, Part 1. Oxford University Press, New York. xxi + 713 pp.
  5. Lönnell, N, and K. Hassel. 2018. New combinations within the genus <i>Sphagnum </i>(Sphagnaceae, Bryophyta). Phytotaxa. 369(1): 57-58.
  6. Robinson, S.C., M. Nieto-Lugilde, A.M. Duffy, K. Martinez Munoz, B. Aguero, A. Merced, K. Hassel, K.I. Flatberg, and A.J. Shaw. 2024. The <i>Sphagnum cuspidatum </i>complex: phylogeny, species delimitation, and morphology. Biological Journal of<br/>the Linnean Society 141: 466-492.