Lycopodiella longipes (Hook. & Grev.) Holub, Folia Geobot. Phytotax.

Øllgaard, Benjamin, Boudrie, Michel & Cremers, Georges, 2020, The Lycopodiaceae of Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, Phytotaxa 433 (2), pp. 101-134 : 103

1. Lycopodiella longipes (Hook. & Grev.) Holub, Folia Geobot. Phytotax. 26(1): 93. 1991.— Lycopodium longipes Hook. & Grev. , Hooker’s Bot. Misc. 2: 372. 1831.— Lycopodiella alopecuroides (L.) Cranfill var. integerrima (Spring) B.Øllg. & P.G.Windisch, Bradea 5: 29. 1987.— Lycopodium alopecuroides L. var. integerrimum Spring, Mém. Acad. Roy. Belg. 15: 75. 1842.— Lycopodium alopecuroides L. var. longipes (Hook. & Grev.) Rosenst., Hedwigia 46: 165. 1907. Type:— BRAZIL. Santa Catarina: Island of St. Catherine, Macrae s.n. (holotype E [E0093414]; isotype K [K000574457]). Fig. 1 .

Plants with horizontal shoots appressed to the ground, firmly rooted with short intervals, bearing stiffly erect, dorsally arising, simple or rarely once forked, at least to 45 cm tall, strobiliferous branches. Horizontal shoots at least to 50 cm long, unequally branched in the horizontal plane, densely covered on all sides by almost uniform, somewhat upwardly secund, or spreading to perpendicular leaves, (6–) 10–15 mm thick incl. leaves, 1–3 mm thick excl. leaves. Leaves of horizontal shoots narrowly lanceolate or subulate to linear, flat, with smooth to denticulate or long-ciliate margins, soft, light green, 5–7(–8) mm long, 0.5–1(–1.2) mm wide at base. Ventral leaves of horizontal shoots conform to only half as wide as lateral and dorsal leaves. Erect peduncular branches ca. 4 to 10 mm in diam. incl. leaves, 1–2(–2.5) mm thick excl. leaves, its leaves radially arranged, borne in alternating whorls of 6–10, ca. 5– 3 mm apart, forming 12–20 indistinct longitudinal ranks, essentially like leaves of horizontal shoots, sometimes slightly narrower or with more dentate-ciliate margins, usually ascending to closely appressed. Strobili at least to 16 cm long, 8–15 mm in diam. incl. sporophylls. Sporophylls arranged as peduncle leaves, linear-lanceolate to broadly lanceolate from a subpeltate base, not coalescent at base, with few to many, coarse, spreading to hooked teeth on margins, 5–7(–9) mm long, 1–1.5(–2) mm wide at base. Sporangia axillary, subglobular, strongly anisovalvate, ca. 1 mm diam., almost completely concealed by the immature sporophyll bases. Spores rugate, with a distinct equatorial rim.

Distribution:— Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.

Habitats:— Open, moist localities on sandy and clayey soil, banks of rivers and roads, swamps, wet grassland, from sea level to 2300 m elev. in adjacent Brazil.

Specimens examined:— GUYANA. Cuyuni-Mazaruni: Watershed between Rupununi and Kuyuni R., Parabaru savanna, A.C.Smith 3067 (GH, K, MO, P, S, U, US); Pakaraima Mts., Kopinang Savanna, Kopinang falls, 800 m, Maguire 46007 (K, US, VEN); Mazaruni-Potaro region, Pakaraima Mts., Imbaimadai Cr., W of Imbaimadai, Pipoly 7981 (AAU, B, BRG, CAY, NY, P, US); Potaro Region, Pakaraima Mountains, Imbaimadai Creek, W of Imbaimadai, 650 m, Pipoly 10463 (AAU, CAY); Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region, Chinoweing Village, Ayanganna Plateau, 650 m, Pipoly 10371 (AAU).— SURINAME. Boven—Tapanahoni, Palaime savanne, Geijskes s.n. (U); W Sipaliwini savanna N of ‘4-Gebroeders’ creek, on Brazilian border, Oldenburger et al. 76 (BBS, U); Boven-Sipaliwini, kamp IV, Rombouts 218 (U).

Note:— The SouthAmerican species of Lycopodiella s.str. were traditionally referred to Lycopodiella alopecuroides s. lat.. However, this species in the strict sense is restricted to North America and Cuba. In North America the present tradition is to divide the group of L. alopecuroides into several species. The South American material earlier gathered under L. alopecuroides includes at least six species in Brazil and the Andes.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lycopodiella longipes—(Venezuela, van der Werff & Ortiz 5861, AAU). A. Growth habit. B. Part of strobilus with sporophylls.