Flora of North America species comparison

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Huperzia porophila

rock clubmoss, rock firmoss
Gemmiferous branchlets

produced in 1–3 pseudowhorls at end of annual growth;

gemmae 4–5 × 3–4 mm;

lateral leaves 1–1.5 mm wide, acute, widest above middle.
Shoots

erect, determinate, occasionally indeterminate, 12–15 cm, clustered to short-decumbent, leaves of mature portion slightly smaller than leaves of juvenile portion;

annual constrictions distinct to indistinct;

juvenile growth erect.
Leaves

reflexed at base, ascending at stem apex (forming cluster) and spreading for most of stem length, sparse, yellow-green (juvenile portion) to yellow-green to green (mature portion), lustrous;

largest leaves lanceolate with roughly parallel sides, 5–8 mm;

smallest leaves triangular, widest at base, 3–6 mm;

margins almost entire with low papillae or a few large teeth;

stomates on both surfaces, few (1–25 per 1/2 leaf) on adaxial surface.
Spores

29–38 µm.

Huperzia porophila
Habitat On damp, shaded, acidic sandstone, rarely on shale or exposed sandstone
Elevation 50–1200 m (200–3900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; IA; IL; IN; KY; MN; MO; OH; PA; TN; VA; WI; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Huperzia porophila occurs in several disjunct populations, most notably in the Driftless Area of Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. A sterile hybrid between H. porophila and H. lucidula, H. × bartleyi, occurs throughout the range of H. porophila. It reproduces vegetatively by gemmae and is common in habitats intermediate between those of the two parents. In Ohio the hybrid may occupy sites to which H. porophila would otherwise be restricted, thus reducing the sites available for colonization by H. porophila (A. W. Cusick 1987).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Lycopodiaceae > Huperzia
Sibling taxa
H. appalachiana, H. haleakalae, H. lucidula, H. miyoshiana, H. occidentalis, H. selago
Synonyms Lycopodium porophilum, Lycopodium lucidulum var. porophilum, Lycopodium selago var. porophilum, Urostachys lucidulus var. porophilus
Name authority (F. E. Lloyd & L. Underwood) Holub: Folia Geobot. Phytotax. 20: 76. (1985)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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