Selaginella vernicosa Baker, 1886

Valdespino, Ivan A., 2015, Novelties in Selaginella (Selaginellaceae - Lycopodiophyta), with emphasis on Brazilian species, PhytoKeys 57, pp. 93-133 : 111

Selaginella vernicosa Baker

Selaginella vernicosa Baker, Timehri 5: 220. 1886. - Type. Venezuela. Bolivar: SE slopes of Mount Roraima, "Our House", 1622 m, E.F. im Thurn 226 (holotype: K! [K000589193]; isotype: US! [US00135747]).

Selaginella vernicosa var oligoclada Baker, Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. Bot. 2: 295. 1887. - Type: Venezuela. Bolivar: SE slopes of Mount Roraima, "Our House", 1622 m, Dec 1884, E.F. im Thurn 381 (holotype: K! [K000589194]; isotypes: BM! [BM001099755], US! [US 00135748]).

Additional specimens examined.

BRAZIL. Roraima: 2300 m, Dec 1909, Ule 8492 (K, MO), 2850 m, Oct 1927, Luetzelburg 21631 (R), 21639 (R).

Discussion.

For a long time, Selaginella vernicosa was thought to occur only in Venezuela ( Alston et al. 1981, Smith 1995), but Cremers et al. (2007) reported it recently from Guyana, a report that needs to be confirmed. Its range is also here documented in Brazil.

Selaginella vernicosa is most distinct by its ascending to erect habit, coriaceous, strongly imbricate and shiny leaves due to waxy deposits, the median leaves ovate to ovate-deltate with the midribs raised or prominent, with short-ciliate margins at least along proximal ⅔, otherwise dentate on distal ⅓, carinate, acute apices, lateral leaves ovate-deltate with acroscopic margins short-ciliate along proximal ½, otherwise dentate distally, and basiscopic margins ciliate along proximal ¼-½, otherwise entire distally with the apices entire or tipped by a tooth.