Selaginella apoda
Selaginella asprella
meadow spike-moss, sélaginelle apode
bluish spike-moss
prostrate to short-creeping, sparsely branched, branches mostly simple or 1-forked, flat, not articulate, glabrous.
decumbent to short-creeping, dry stem readily fragmenting, irregularly forking, without budlike arrested branches, tips straight;
main stem upperside and underside structurally slightly different, inconspicuously indeterminate, lateral branches radially symmetric, determinate or not, often strongly ascending on cushionlike mats, 1–2-forked.
delicate, papery.
monomorphic, in alternate pseudowhorls of 4, tightly appressed, ascending, green, narrowly triangular-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, (2–)2.5–4 × 0.45–0.7(–0.8) mm (smaller on young buds);
abaxial ridges present;
base cuneate and decurrent or sometimes rounded and adnate on young buds, pubescent (hairs often covering 1/4 of leaf length abaxially);
margins ciliate, cilia transparent to whitish, spreading, 0.7–0.15 mm;
apex keeled, attenuate or obtuse, bristled;
bristle white or transparent, puberulent, 0.5–1.4 mm.
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.
solitary, 0.4–1.5(–2) cm;
sporophylls lanceolate and strongly tapering to apex or deltate-ovate to ovate-lanceolate, abaxial ridges moderately defined, base pubescent or glabrous, margins short-ciliate to dentate, apex keeled or plane, bristled.
axillary, throughout stem length or restricted to proximal 1/3 of stem, 0.05–0.1 mm diam.
borne on upperside of stems, throughout stem length, 0.2–0.4 mm diam.
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.
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
Selaginella asprella
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.)
Selaginella asprella may be confused with S. leucobryoides particularly because of its readily fragmenting stems.
Of conservation concern.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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