Palhinhaea glaucescens (Presl) Holub (1991: 93)

Øllgaard, Benjamin, 2020, Lycopodiaceae in Colombia: Subfamilies Lycopodioideae and Lycopodielloideae, Phytotaxa 433 (3), pp. 195-224 : 211-213

Palhinhaea glaucescens (Presl) Holub (1991: 93) .— Fig. 6C .

Lycopodium glaucescens Presl (1825: 81) .— Lycopodium spurium Willd. var. glaucescens (Presl) Nessel (1939: 319) .— Lycopodiella glaucescens (Presl) Øllgaard (1987: 176) . Type:— PERU: In montanis ad Huanocco, Haenke s. n. ( PRC holotype).

Plants with long, robust, arching-looping to scandent runner shoots, rooting at long intervals. These bearing dorsally arising, initially erect, amply branched, to several m long, bending to long scandent shoots. Dorsally arising shoots with several spreading or nodding to long pendulous, usually alternate, to at least 40 cm long lateral branchlet systems, 2–4 mm thick excl. leaves. Leaves of main axes patent to reflexed, in stronger branches often strongly upward curved, 3–5 mm long, to 1 mm wide, with terete to quadrangular, hairy leaf bases, upward flattened, usually coriaceous. Ultimate branchlets 3–5 mm in diam. incl. leaves, the sterile ones often tapering to less than 2 mm in diam. Leaves of ultimate branchlets borne in densely crowded, alternating whorls or low spirals of 4–6, forming 8–12 indistinct longitudinal ranks, acicular to lanceolate, usually with flattened apex, 2.5–4 × 0.3–0.8 (–1.0) mm, usually strongly upward curved and hook-shaped from a spreading or perpendicular to reflexed base, soft herbaceous to rigidly coriaceous, hairy only on leaf base. Strobili variable, 5–30 mm long, 3–4.5 (–5) mm in diam. Sporophylls borne in alternating whorls of 5, forming 10 longitudinal ranks, with coalescent bases partly enclosing the sporangia, with 2–3 mm long, 0.8–1.2 mm wide, lanceolate-ovate, apically acute-acuminate exterior face, with shallowly dentate-ciliate margins, of herbaceous, green texture throughout. Sporangia 0.7 mm wide.

Distribution: Costa Rica, Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia.

Habitats: Clearings and open places in wet upper montane forest, 1600–3700 m elev.

Notes: A remarkable species with often very long scandent “erect” shoots. Under favorable conditions these may reach a length of several meters. Palhinhaea glaucescens is variable with respect to strobilus size, size, coarseness and direction of the branchlet systems. Plants of exposed habitats are usually relatively short, compact, and with rigid, coriaceous leaves, approaching the growth habit of P. pendulina , while individuals from protected habitats are longer, more lax, soft, and may have long pendulous branchlets.

Palhinhaea lehmannii (Hieron.) Holub , also from Colombia, is closely related to this species. See the notes there.

Antoquia: 15–16 km NE de Sonsón, hacia Argelia, 2440–2530 m, Luteyn & Lebrón-Luteyn 7158 (AAU). Mun. Sonsón, vereda Chaverras, ascenso al alto La Paloma, 3200 m, Callejas & Roldán 10624 (AAU). Road San José de la Montaña –Toledo, km 11, 2750 m, Santa et al. 479 (HUA, US). Mun. Yolombó, Yolombó—Yalí, Río San Lorenzo, 1485 m, Santa 597 (AAU). Mun. Yarumal, 2360 m, Santa 598 (AAU). Boyacá: Carretera Sogamoso–Pajarito, 2000 m, Bischler 1728 (COL). Sierra Nevada de Cocuy, near Laguna Seca, Río de los Pajaros, 2650 m, Grubb & Guymer P98 (BM). Arabuco, 2740–2850m, Huertas & Camargo 6297 (COL). Boyacá/Santander: Mun. Paipa, road Duitama– Charalá, 2180 m, Santa & Buitrago 890 (AAU). Cauca: Carretera Totoró–Inzá, flanco oriental cordillera central, 2850 m, Santa et al 986 (AAU, COL, HUA); 987 (AAU, COL, HUA). Road Timbío–Veinte de Julio, km 54, 2100–2300 m, Maas & Plowman 2151 (GH, Z). Cord. Central, Macizo Colombiano, E slope, Parque Nacional Puracé, ascent from San José de Isnos, 2750 m, Cleef 5005 (U). “La Gallera”, valle del Micay, 2200–2600 m., Killip 8012 (GH, US).

Cundinamarca: Chiquinquirá, Frere Apollinaire, s.n. (S). Huila: 20 km SE de Garzón, cordillera oriental, 2530 m, Little 9373 ( US). Putumayo: Valle de Sibundoy, 3 km N of San Pedro, Juajibioy 195 (GH).

Santander: Quebrada Chivirití, W of Galán, 2600 m, Fasset 25725 ( US).

Figures

FIGURE 6.A: Palhinhaea trianae (Colombia:Alston 8629,AAU).A1: Erect main axis with lateral branchlet system.A2:Close-up of main erect axis. A3: Branchlet leaf. A4: Sporophyll. B: Palhinhaea lehmannii (Colombia: Alston 8268, AAU), main branch with strobiliferous branchlet system. B1: Strobiliferous branchlet. B2. Sporophyll. C: Palhinhaea glaucescens (Ecuador: Jameson s.n., Nanegal, K), main branch with strobiliferous branchlet system. C1: Strobiliferous branchlet. C2: Sporophyll.