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Lycopodiaceae

(Family)

Overview

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Plants terrestrial, on rock, or epiphytic. Roots emerging near origin, or growing through cortex and emergent some distance from origin. Horizontal stems present or absent, mainly protostelic, in some species becoming actino- or plectostelic, on substrate surface or subterranean, or forming stolons. Upright shoots simple or branched, usually conspicuously leafy at least at base; abscising gemmae formed by reduced lateral shoots. Lateral shoots present or absent, simple or branched, branching pattern dichotomous and sometimes pseudomonopodial; leaves uniform or dimorphic or trimorphic. Upright and lateral shoots round or flat in cross section; leaves on subterranean parts flat, appressed, nonph otosynthetic, and scalelike; leaves on aerial parts appressed, ascending, or spreading, with 1 central unbranched vein, needlelike to lanceolate to ovate, remote to dense and imbricate, with or without basal and/or mucilage canals. Strobili sessile or stalked, upright, nodding, or pendent. Sporangia solitary, adaxial near leaf base or axillary; subtending leaves (sporophylls) unmodified and photosynthetic to much modified, nonphotosynthetic, reduced, and aggregated in strobili; sporangia reniform to globose, thick-walled with hundreds of spores, outer walls variously modified. Spores all 1 kind, trilete, thick-walled, surfaces pitted to small-grooved, rugulate, or reticulate. Gametophytes subterranean and nonphotosynthetic or surficial and photosynthetic.

Genera 10--15, species 350--400 (7 genera, 27 species in the flora) : worldwide.

The Lycopodiaceae are an extremely diverse, ancient family. The family may contain even more than the estimated 400 species because the tropical members and the very large genus Phlegmariurus are still poorly known. The relationships among genera of Lycopodiaceae are not well understood because large evolutionary gaps exist among most genera. Some of the genera, notably Diphasiastrum, Huperzia, and Lycopodiella, exhibit extensive interspecific hybridization, which has caused much taxonomic confusion in the past. Differences in expressions of many of the generic characters are subtle, and some of the characters are microscopic.[1]

Taxonomy

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The Family Lycopodiaceae is further organized into finer groupings including:

Genera

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Austrolycopodium

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Dendrolycopodium

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Diphasiastrum

Diphasiastrum is a genus of clubmosses in the plant family Lycopodiaceae. It is closely related to the genus Lycopodium, and some botanists treat it within a broad view of that genus as a section, Lycopodium sect. Complanata. Some species superficially resemble diminutive gymnosperms and have been given common names such as Ground-pine or Ground-cedar. [more]

Diphasium

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Huperzia

Huperzia is a genus of Lycophyte plants, sometimes known as the Firmosses or Fir clubmosses. These species have traditionally been included in the related genus Lycopodium, but the trend in recent treatments has been to place them in a separate genus. The common name firmoss, used for some of the north temperate species, refers to their superficial resemblance to branches of fir (Abies), a conifer. In Australia, the epiphytic species are commonly known as Tassel ferns. [more]

Lateristachys

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Lepidotis

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Lycopodiastrum

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Lycopodiella

Lycopodiella is a genus in the clubmoss family Lycopodiaceae. The genus members are commonly called, bog clubmosses, describing their wetland habitat. There are 38 species; the distribution is cosmopolitan, with centres of diversity in the tropical New World and New Guinea. In the past, the genus was often incorporated within the related genus Lycopodium. [more]

Lycopodioides

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Lycopodites

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Lycopodium

Lycopodium is a genus of clubmosses, also known as ground pines, in the family Lycopodiaceae, a family of fern-allies (see Pteridophyta). They are flowerless, vascular, terrestrial or epiphytic plants, with widely-branched, erect, prostrate or creeping stems, with small, simple, needle-like or scale-like leaves that cover the stem and branches thickly. The fertile leaves are arranged in cone-like strobilli. Specialized leaves (sporophylls) bear reniform spore-cases (sporangia) in the axils, which contain spores of one kind only. These club-shaped capsules give the genus its name. [more]

Palhinhaea

Plants on substrate surface, resembling small, many-branched tree. Roots emerging immediately on underside of stems. Horizontal stems branching, stolonlike, rooting where they touch ground. Upright shoots usually 1 to each arch of horizontal stems, to 3.5 mm diam., unequally, dichotomously branched with well-differentiated lateral branchlets much branched. Leaves not in distinct ranks, not imbricate, monomorphic, generally ascending, linear-needlelike, margin entire. Gemmiferous branchlets and gemmae absent. Strobili solitary, sessile, nodding to pendent, tip blunt; sporophylls smaller than vegetative leaves. Sporangia nearly globose. Spore surface rugulate; sides convex at equator. Gametophytes photosynthetic, on substrate surface, pincushion-shaped; ring meristem absent.[2] [more]

Phlegmariurus

Huperzia is a genus of Lycophyte plants, sometimes known as the Firmosses or Fir clubmosses. These species have traditionally been included in the related genus Lycopodium, but the trend in recent treatments has been to place them in a separate genus. The common name firmoss, used for some of the north temperate species, refers to their superficial resemblance to branches of fir (Abies), a conifer. In Australia, the epiphytic species are commonly known as Tassel ferns. [more]

Phylloglossum

Phylloglossum, a in the clubmoss family Huperziaceae, is a small plant superficially resembling a tiny grass plant, growing with a rosette of slender leaves 2-5 cm long from an underground bulb-like root. It has a single central stem up to 5 cm tall bearing a spore-producing cone at the apex, and was previously classified variously in the family Lycopodiaceae or in its own family the Phylloglossaceae, but recent genetic evidence demonstrates it is most closely related to the genus Huperzia. [more]

Plananthus

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Pseudodiphasium

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Pseudolycopodiella

Plants creeping on wet substrates. Roots emerging immediately on underside of stems. Horizontal stems on substrate surface, short-creeping. Upright shoots not branched, forming sparsely leafy peduncles scattered along horizontal stem, nearly naked, 9--11 mm diam. Leaves of horizontal stems not in distinct ranks, not imbricate, dimorphic, margins entire; lateral leaves narrowly linear, nearly subulate, median leaves 1/2--2/3 shorter than lateral leaves, ascending. Gemmiferous branchlets and gemmae absent. Strobili solitary, not conspicuously differentiated from peduncle, tip blunt; peduncle nearly naked with scattered minute leaves, 0.9--3 mm diam.; sporophylls much shorter than peduncle leaves. Sporangia reniform. Spores rugulate, sides at equator convex, angles acute. Gametophytes photosynthetic, on substrate surface, tuber-shaped and lobed; ring meristem absent. x = 35.[3] [more]

Pseudolycopodium

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Spinulum

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Urostachia

Urostachys

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At least 372 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Urostachys.

More info about the Genus Urostachys may be found here.

Bibliography

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Footnotes

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  1. Warren H. Wagner Jr. & Joseph M. Beitel "Lycopodiaceae". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org.
  2. "Palhinhaea". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org.
  3. "Pseudolycopodiella". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Sources

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Last Revised: August 24, 2012
2012/08/24 17:24:42