Palhinhaea pseudocurvata B.Øllg., Nordic J. Bot.

Øllgaard, Benjamin, Boudrie, Michel & Cremers, Georges, 2020, The Lycopodiaceae of Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, Phytotaxa 433 (2), pp. 101-134 : 109-110

3. Palhinhaea pseudocurvata B.Øllg., Nordic J. Bot. 33: 188. 2014. Type:— VENEZUELA. Bolívar: Mount Roraima , on southwest-facing sandstone ledge, 2100–2620 m, 28 September 1944, Steyermark 58935 (holotype US [01268784]; isotype F). Fig. 4 .

Vigorous plants with long, arching-looping runner shoots, rooting at long intervals, bearing dorsally arising, rigidly erect, amply branched, to 2.5 m tall, self-supporting, tree-like aerial shoots. Erect main axes with several to numerous, opposite to subdecussate, usually stiffly spreading, highly compound, short or to at least 30 cm long lateral branchlet systems. Main stems (2–) 3–7 mm thick excluding leaves, the leaves usually closely appressed in the lower part of the stem, or sometimes with appressed leaf bases and diverging leaf apices upward. Stem surface and leaf bases sparsely to densely covered with simple to branched, irregularly curled hairs. Basal divisions of lateral branchlet systems 4–6 mm in diam. including leaves, gradually tapering to 2–3 mm in ultimate branchlets. Ultimate branchlets rigidly straight to somewhat recurved. Leaves of ultimate branchlets densely crowded, usually borne in somewhat irregular alternating whorls of 5–8, forming 10–16 longitudinal ranks, 2–3 × 0.3–0.5 mm, subterete or quadrangular at base (dried), apically flattened, acicular, ascending to falcately curved, with few to many hairs on margins and leaf bases. Strobili nodding to pendent, 0.5–2 cm long, 2–3 mm in diam. Sporophylls borne in alternating whorls of 4–5, forming 8–10 longitudinal ranks, deltoid-cuspidate, ca. 1.5 × 0.5–0.8 mm wide exterior face, with irregularly erose-laciniate margins. Sporangia subglobose, ca. 0.8 mm in diam.

Distribution:—Greater Antilles, Venezuelan Guayana (AM-BO), Guyana.

Habitats:—In montane, cloud forest, on rocky sandstone cliffs and mountain ridge tops, 1250–2620 m elev.

Specimens examined:— GUYANA. Potaro-Siparuni region, Pakaraima Mts., Mt. Wokomung , summit plateau, N escarpment, 1530 m, Henkel et al. 1525 ( CAY, US) ; Cuyuni-Mazaruni, 2–5 km NW of northern ”prow” of Roraima , 1500–2000 m, Hahn 5482B ( CAY, US) ; Cuyuni-Mazaruni region, Mt. Ayanganna , E side on steep slopes, 1250–1300 m, Pipoly 11188 ( CAY, US) .

Notes:—This species is variable with respect to size, probably as a response to growth conditions, and may grow to more than 2 m tall. When growing together with Palhinhaea cernua , it may become at least twice as big ( Chad Husby, pers. comm.) and may be distinguished also by the closely appressed leaves on the major axes.

Collections referred to Lycopodium cernuum L. var. curvatum (Sw.) Hook. & Grev. that were reported in earlier publications, appear to belong to the present species.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Palhinhaea pseudocurvata—(Venezuela, Steyermark 58935, US), details of holotype. A1. Main erect stem with appressed leaves. A2. Main erect stem, showing indumentum.A3. Close-up of strobili. All scales in mm.