36b. Sphagnum majus subsp. norvegicum K. I. Flatberg, Kongel. Norske Vidensk. Selsk. Skr. (Trondheim). 2: 1. 1987.
Plants green, yellow-green, brownish green to golden brown; branches straight to slightly curved. Stem leaves 1-1.4 mm, often spreading. Branch leaves 1.8-3.4 mm, straight to slightly subsecund; hyaline cells on convex surface with mostly 1 pore per fibril interval, pores more than 1/3 cell diameter. Spores 33-40 µm; distal surface finely and densely granulate.
Habitat unclear due to recent taxonomic separation from subsp. majus; in North America, subsp. norvegicum seems to occur in weakly minerotrophic habitats such as poor sedge fens, lake edges, and floating mats; low to moderate elevations; Alta., B.C., Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.), N.W.T., N.S., Ont., Que., Sask., Yukon; Alaska, Conn., Maine, Mass., Mich., Minn., N.H., N.J., N.Y., Pa., Wis.; Eurasia?.
Sporophytes of subsp. norvegicum are uncommon. See discussion under 23. Sphagnum annulatum. Spore features are taken from from Flatberg’s description.
