Urostachys myrsinites (Lam.) Herter, Repert., 2020

Øllgaard, Benjamin, Boudrie, Michel & Cremers, Georges, 2020, The Lycopodiaceae of Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, Phytotaxa 433 (2), pp. 101-134 : 121

9. Phlegmariurus myrsinites (Lam.) B.Øllg., Phytotax. 57: 17. 2012. — Lycopodium myrsinites Lam., Encycl. Méth. Bot. 3: 654. 1789.— Plananthus myrsinites (Lam.) P.Beauv., Prodr. Aeth. 111. 1805.— Urostachys myrsinites (Lam.) Herter, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 19: 166. 1923.— Huperzia myrsinites (Lam.) Trevis., Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat. 17: 249. 1874. Type:— HAITI: St. Domingue: Comm. Joseph Martin (holotype P-LA [P00565075]). Fig. 7B .

Lycopodium patens Willd. ex Spreng., Syst. Veg. (ed. 14) 4: 12. 1827.— Urostachys patens (Spreng.) Nessel, Bärlappgewächse 245. 1939. Type:—“America“ B [B-W 19342 -01 0].

Lycopodium roraimense Underw. & F.E.Lloyd, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 33: 115. 1906.— Urostachys roraimensis (Underw. & F.E. Lloyd) Nessel, Bärlappgewächse 246. 1939. Type:— GUYANA. Cuyuni-Mazaruni: Forest slopes near Roraima, Herb. Jenman s.n., (holotype NY [144018]).

Lycopodium skutchii Maxon, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 46: 159. 1933. Type:— GUATEMALA. Chimaltenango: Chichavac, 2400–2700 m, Skutch 243 (holotype US [00135539]).

Plants pendulous, at least to 65 cm long. Shoots heterophyllous, usually not all sharply differentiated. Basal divisions 10–18 mm in diam. incl. the expanded leaves, upward gradually, within a short transition, or abruptly constricted to 1.5– 3 mm thick incl. the reduced, imbricate leaves. Stem excl. leaves ca. 1 mm thick at the base, pale greenish. Expanded leaves decussate or subdecussate, often irregularly shaped, subdistant to densely crowded, usually not continuously overlapping, ascending to perpendicular, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, the widest ones usually obtuse at base, 6–11 × 1.5–3 mm. Leaves of constricted divisions highly variable, often with complete reduction series, and recurrent series to expanded shape, decussate or subdecussate, continuously or discontinuously sporangiate. Transitional leaves with widely ovate base, and short to long acuminate apex, appressed and clasping, with the wide base abaxially rounded to blunty carinate, with straight to recurved apex, 2.5–5 × 1.5–2 mm. Shortest leaves with base conform, but with straight to falcate apex, blunty to sharply carinate, ca. 2 mm long. Sporangia 1–1.3 mm in diam.

Distribution:— Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Trinidad, Venezuela, Guyana, Ecuador, Peru.

Habitats:—Epiphytic, montane and upper montane forest on tepui slopes, 1300–1800 m elev.

Specimens examined:— GUYANA: Roraima , Jenman s.n. (holotype of Lycopodium roraimense, NY ) ; Roraima, Schomburgk 2 ( BM), s.n. ( US) ; base of Roraima, Im Thurn 230 (K); s.loc., Schomburgk . 1181 (BR, P).

Figures

FIGURE 7.A. Phlegmariurus aqualupianus—(Brazil, Salino et al. 9192, BHCB), growth habit. B. Phlegmariurus myrsinites (Venezuela, Meier & Silva 1585, AAU), growth habit.