Flora of North America species comparison

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Selaginella apoda

meadow spike-moss, sélaginelle apode
Habit Plants terrestrial, forming loose or clustered mats.
Stems

prostrate to short-creeping, sparsely branched, branches mostly simple or 1-forked, flat, not articulate, glabrous.
Leaves

delicate, papery.
Strobili

paired or solitary, lax, flattened, 1–2 cm;

sporophylls ovate to ovate-deltate, strongly keeled, keel dentate, base slightly cordate to rounded, margins with scattered teeth, apex acuminate;

megasporophylls larger and wider than microsporophylls, usually on underside of strobili.
Rhizophores

axillary, throughout stem length or restricted to proximal 1/3 of stem, 0.05–0.1 mm diam.
Lateral

leaves distant, green, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 1.35–2.25 × 0.75–1.35 mm;

base slightly cordate;

margins green or with 1 row of transparent cells, serrate;

apex acute, ending in teeth.
Median

leaves ovate-lanceolate, 1–1.6 × 0.45–0.7 mm;

base oblique on inner side, rounded and prominent on outer side;

margins green or with row of transparent cells, serrate;

apex straight, acuminate to long-acuminate.

Selaginella apoda
Habitat Swamps, meadows, marshes, pastures, damp lawns, open woods, and stream banks, in basic to acidic soil
Elevation 0–100 m (0–300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WV; Mexico in Chihuahua; s to Chiapas
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Selaginella apoda is the central component of a taxonomically difficult species complex of eastern North America. It is closely related to S. eclipes (see discussion) and S. ludoviciana. Naturally occurring and experimental hybrids between S. apoda and S. ludoviciana have been reported (P. Somers and W. R. Buck 1975; T. R. Webster 1990). Also, some evidence indicates that hybrids may occur between S. apoda and S. eclipes. More studies are needed in this complex.

The species in the S. apoda complex may be best classified under subg. Homostachys of J. G. Baker (1883, 1887), with which they share flattened strobili and larger sporophylls (megasporophylls) that are usually in the same plane as the vegetative lateral leaves. They are, however, treated here with the other heterophyllous species of subg. Stachygynandrum until a reassessment of the classification of the genus Selaginella can be made.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Selaginellaceae > Selaginella > subg. Stachygynandrum
Sibling taxa
S. acanthonota, S. arenicola, S. arizonica, S. asprella, S. bigelovii, S. braunii, S. cinerascens, S. densa, S. douglasii, S. eatonii, S. eclipes, S. eremophila, S. hansenii, S. kraussiana, S. lepidophylla, S. leucobryoides, S. ludoviciana, S. mutica, S. oregana, S. peruviana, S. pilifera, S. rupestris, S. rupincola, S. scopulorum, S. selaginoides, S. sibirica, S. standleyi, S. tortipila, S. uncinata, S. underwoodii, S. utahensis, S. viridissima, S. wallacei, S. watsonii, S. weatherbiana, S. willdenowii, S. wrightii, S. ×neomexicana
Synonyms Lycopodium apodum, Diplostachyum apodum
Name authority (Linnaeus) C. Morren: in Martius et al., Fl. Bras. 1(2): 119. (1840)
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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