Lycopodiella andicola Øllgaard (2004: 42)

Øllgaard, Benjamin, 2020, Lycopodiaceae in Colombia: Subfamilies Lycopodioideae and Lycopodielloideae, Phytotaxa 433 (3), pp. 195-224 : 205-207

Lycopodiella andicola Øllgaard (2004: 42) .— Fig. 4B .

Type:— ECUADOR: Zamora-Chinchipe: S of Zamora, at entrance to Guardería Bombuscaro , 78°57’W 4°02’S, 1050 m, 13 Mar 1993, Øllgaard, B. 100744 (LOJA holotype; AAU, QCA, isotypes) .

Horizontal shoots appressed to the ground, firmly rooted with short intervals, bearing stiffly erect, dorsally arising, simple, strobiliferous branches. Horizontal shoots at least to 25 cm long, sparsely unequally branched in the horizontal plane, densely covered on all sides by almost uniform, somewhat upwardly secund, or spreading to perpendicular leaves, 5–12 mm wide incl. leaves; the leaves narrowly lanceolate to subulate, flat, with smooth margins or with short to long slender diverging teeth, soft, light green, 4–7 × 0.5–0.8 mm. Erect peduncular branches ca 4–8 (–10) mm in diam. incl. leaves, to 40 cm tall incl. the strobilus, its leaves radially arranged, borne in alternating whorls of 6–8, these 1.5–5 mm apart, forming 12–16 indistinct longitudinal ranks, like leaves of horizontal shoots, or narrower, ascending to patent or recurved, with entire margins or with few to several long perpedicular to recurved teeth, especially near the leaf base. Mature strobili to 15 cm long, 8–15 mm in diam. incl. sporophylls. Sporophylls borne as peduncle leaves, narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate-caudate with a 0.8–1.2 mm wide subpeltate base and with several long, coarse, hooked teeth on margins, then ± abruptly narrowed into a long, usually toothless tip, 4–7 mm long. Sporangia axillary, subglobular, ca 1 mm in diam., almost concealed by sporophyll bases.

Distribution: Andes from Colombia to Bolivia

Habitats: Lycopodiella andicola occurs mainly at lower and mid-elevations (190–) 460–1800 m, usually in rather newly disturbed, well drained pioneer habitats, such as road cuts and rocky habitats with thin soil. Lycopodiella andicola and L. matthewsii are distinct, both regarding morphology and habitats.

COLOMBIA: Amazonas: Río Cahuinarí, 500 m, 10.8 km from the mouth of the Cahuinarí in direction 270°, south side, Duivenvoorden, J. et al. 56 (U p.p.). Antoquia: Camino 1–2 km W de Argelia, 1580 m, Core 798 ( US). Cundinamarca: Road Pacho–La Palma, 1300 m, Haught 6082 (S, US). Meta: Hda “La Corona”, Marín 29 ( US). Nariño: Near Ricaurte, 1400 m, Alston 8438 (AAU, BM). Valle del Cauca: Mun. Dagua, caserio La Elsa, Buenaventura–Cali near Río Oigua, Quebrada Piedras de Moler, 950 m, Santa & Sánchez 1060 (AAU, HUA). Anchicayá (Cali–Buenaventura), 500 m, KØie 4769 (C).

Figures

FIGURE 4.A: Lycopodiella matthewsii (Ecuador: Holm-Nielsen et al. 4839, AAU), growth habit.A1: Vegetative leaf.A2-3: Sporophylls, back- and side-view. B: Lycopodiella andicola (Ecuador: Asplund 19353, S), Growth habit. B1: Close-up of strobiliferous branch with leaf whorls. B2: Sporophyll. C1. Pseudolycopodiella contexta (Peru: Foster 4102, AAU), growth habit. C2. Close-up of creeping shoot. C3: Growth habit of aerial branch. C4: Close-up of strobiliferous branch. C5: Close-up of strobilus.