Typification of Sphagnum balticum (Russow) C.E.O.Jensen

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to typify Sphagnum balticum (Russow) C.E.O.Jensen and provide an accompanying description. Russow’s herbarium was sold by his widow after his death and most of it ended up at the Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (LE). However, about half of it was returned to Estonia; most of these collections are now found in the Estonian University of Life Sciences (TAA), with the minority held in the University of Tartu (TU). Some of his collections also arrived in the Berlin Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum (B), the University of Helsinki (H) and the Swedish Museum of Natural History (S). Typification is here based on a review of material located in B, H, LE, TAA and TU, plus material from Jensen’s herbarium located in the University of Copenhagen (C). Potential material in S will not be available for study for several years, because it is in storage while the herbarium building is being renovated. There are five collections of Sphagnum made by Russow in the database for S, but none are S. balticum. Turland et al. (2018) is followed for nomenclatural guidance.