Name: |
- Huperzia, for Johann Peter Huperz (d. 1816) a German fern
horticulturist
- selago, from the Greek, selagh
(selage), "flashing"
- Fir Clubmoss, from the resemblance of its needle-like leaves to those
of the Firs (Abies sp.)
- Other common names include: Cliff Clubmoss, Little Clubmoss, Mountain
Clubmoss, Rock Clubmoss, Northern fir-moss, huperzie slagine
(Qué), Lopplummer, luslummer, lusgräs (Swe), Lusegras,
(Nor), Otteradet Ulvefod (Dan), Ketunlieko (Fin),
Skollafingur (Is), Tannen-Bärlapp (Ger), Részegkorpafû
(Hun), Wroniec widlasty (Pol)
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Taxonomy: |
- Kingdom Plantae, the Plants
- Division Lycopodiophyta, the Club Mosses
- Class Lycopodiopsida, the Club Mosses
- Order Lycopodiales, the Club Mosses
- Family Lycopodiaceae, the Club Mosses
- Genus Huperzia, the Fir Club Mosses
- Taxonomic Serial Number: 202452
- Also known as Lycopodium selago, Plananthus selago,
Urostachys selago
- Selago was original genera for all clubmosses
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Description: |
- A small, clump forming, evergreen, clubmoss.
- Roots pallid-brown, traveling downward in stem cortex some
distance before emerging at soil level.
- Horizontal stem below ground.
- Shoots erect, upswept, close to equal length, 3¼"-4¾";
branches few. Indistinct annual constrictions present. Bulblet bearing branchlets
produced at end of annual growth. dull yellow green; lustrous and evergreen.
- Leaves of mature upper portion slightly smaller than leaves of
juvenile lower portion. Largest leaves triangular, widest at base, 4mm-7.5mm;
smallest leaves lanceolate, 3.5mm-5mm; edges almost smooth; stomates on
both surfaces, numerous on upper surface, with 30-90 per half leaf.
- Cones absent; spore cases nestled in base of upper leaves.
- Bulblets (gemmae) 4-5mm x 3-4.5mm
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Identification: |
- Identifiable as Huperzia by
- absence of horizontal stems
- clustered upright shoots; not tree-like
- absence of spore-bearing cones
- Distinguished from other North Country Huperzia species
by
- leaves about 1/8" long with smooth edges (H.
lucidula has larger, 3/8" leaves with toothed edges)
- shoots about 4" long (H. lucidula
has longer, 6" shoots)
- shoots with weak annual constrictions (H.
appalachiana lacks annual constrictions)
- more than 30 stomates per half-leaf on upper surface (H.
porophila has 25 or fewer)
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Distribution: |
- Circumboreal; Greenland to Alaska, south to Washington, Missouri,
and Alabama.
- Also Europe and Asia
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Habitat: |
- Cool, damp, shaded ledges, hillsides; rarely in woods or swamps.
- Terrestrial in sandy borrow pits, ditches, lakeshore swales, and conifer
swamps, rarely on acidic, igneous rock or calcareous coast cliffs.
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Fire: |
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Associates: |
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History: |
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Uses: |
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Reproduction: |
- By spores
- Huperzia species also reproduce by bulblets (gemma) produced
at base of upper leaves which, when mature, fall to ground and sprout
to form new plants.
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Propagation: |
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Cultivation: |
- Clubmosses can make attractive ground covers, but they do not transplant
well.
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Links: |
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Comments: |
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Last Updated on
3 July, 2004
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