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Lycopodiella affinis

Description

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Family Lycopodiaceae

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

Genus Lycopodiella

Plants creeping on wet ground . Roots emerging immediately on underside of stems. Horizontal stems on substrate surface, supine or arching . Upright shoots forming very leafy peduncles scattered along horizontal stems, 2--9 mm diam., unbranched. Gemmiferous branchlets and gemmae absent. Strobili solitary, fully differentiated from peduncle or peduncle not differentiated, tip blunt to ± acute; peduncle leafy, leaves not in distinct ranks , not imbricate, usually monomorphic , linear-lanceolate, margins commonly with a few teeth; sporophylls generally longer than peduncle leaves. Sporangia nearly globose . Spores rugulate, sides at equator convex , angles acute. Gametophytes photosynthetic, on substrate surface, pincushion-shaped; ring meristem absent. x = 78.

Species 8--10: north temperate region and tropical America.

This concept of Lycopodiella excludes the segregate genera Pseudolycopodiella (including Lycopodium carolinianum ) and Palhinhaea (including Lycopodium cernuum ). It has been treated as Lepidotis Palisot de Beauvois ex Mirbel, but this is a later name for Lycopodium. Species of Lycopodiella hybridize readily (see reticulogram). Hybrids between species of the same ploidy level are apparently fertile with normal meiosis and spores, but those between different ploidy levels are sterile (J. G. Bruce 1975)."Lycopodiella". in Flora of North America Vol 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Taxonomy

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Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Lycopodiella affinis (Bory) Pic. Serm.
  2. Lycopodiella caroliniana Holub var. affinis (Bory) Schelpe
  3. Lycopodiella caroliniana affinis
  4. Lycopodium affine
  5. Lycopodium affine Bory
  6. Pseudolycopodiella affinis

Notes

Basionym : BoryBasionym author : (Bory)

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Lycopodiella

There are approximately 85 species in this genus:

L. brucei · L. copelandii · L. gilmanii · L. robusta · L. affinis · L. alopecurioides · L. alopecuroides (Foxtail Bog-Clubmoss) · L. alopecuroides var. duseniana · L. alopecuroides var. integerrima · L. alopecuroides var. integerrimum · L. alopecuroides var. tupiana · L. andicola · L. appressa (Southern Bog Clubmoss) · L. benjaminiana · L. bigelowii · L. bradei · L. brucei (Bruce's Clubmoss) · L. camporum · L. carnosa · L. caroliniana (Carolina Clubmoss) · L. caroliniana (L.) Pichi Sermolli var. caroliniana (L.) Pichi Sermolli (Slender Clubmoss) · L. caroliniana var. caroliniana · L. caroliniana var. grandifolia · L. caroliniana var. meridionale · L. caroliniana var. meridionalis · L. caroliniana var. mesetarum · L. caroliniana var. paradoxa · L. caroliniana var. tuberosa · L. carolinianum · L. casuarinoides · L. cernua (Creeping Clubmoss) · L. cernua var. caboverdeana · L. cernua var. capillacea · L. cernua var. cernua · L. cernua var. cernua (L.) Pichi Sermolli (Staghorn Clubmoss) · L. cernua var. crassifolia · L. cernua var. curvata · L. cernua var. curvata (Sw.) Kartesz and Gandhi (Staghorn Clubmoss) · L. cernua var. sikkimensis · L. cernuum · L. contexta · L. copelandii (Copeland's Clubmoss) · L. descendens · L. dichotomum · L. diffusa · L. eichleri · L. furcatum · L. geometra · L. glaucescens · L. indundata · L. innundata · L. inundata (Bog Clubmoss) · L. inundatum · L. iuliformis · L. iuliformis var. tatei · L. krameriana · L. lateralis · L. lehmannii · L. limosa · L. limosella · L. longipes · L. maniculata · L. margueritae · L. margueritiae (Marguerite's Clubmoss) · L. mathewsii · L. matthewsii · L. paradoxum · L. pendulina · L. prostrata (Featherstem Clubmoss) · L. ramulosa · L. riofrioi · L. sarcocaulon · L. selago · L. serpentina · L. sitchense · L. steyermarkii · L. subappressa (Northern Appressed Clubmoss) · L. torta · L. trianae · L. veigae · L. × brucei · L. × copelandii (Copeland's Clubmoss) · L. × gilmanii · L. × robusta · L. copelandii

Bibliography

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More Info

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal December 01, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

Last Revised: 2008-09-07