Selaginella hansenii
Selaginella arizonica
Hansen's spike-moss
Arizona spike-moss
not readily fragmenting, prostrate, upperside and underside structurally different, irregularly forked, branches determinate, tips upturned.
not readily fragmenting, prostrate, upperside and underside structurally different, irregularly forked, branches determinate, tips upturned in extremely dry conditions.
with underside leaves slightly longer and narrower than upperside leaves, otherwise monomorphic, not clearly ranked, tightly appressed, ascending, green or green with red spots, or reddish, linear-lanceolate (underside) to linear-triangular (upperside), (2–)3–4.5 × 0.5–0.6 mm;
abaxial ridges present;
base abruptly adnate, pubescent (sometimes glabrous);
margins ciliate, cilia white to white opaque, strongly appressed and ascending, 0.03–0.1 mm;
apex with bristle white to white-opaque, 0.5–1.4 mm (those on underside leaves sometimes 1/4–1/2 longer than those on upperside leaves).
conspicuously dimorphic, in 8 ranks, tightly appressed to ascending, green;
abaxial ridges present;
apex with transparent to opaque, flattened bristle 0.1–0.3 mm, sometimes becoming acute (by breaking off of bristle).
solitary, 5–7 mm;
sporophylls ovate-deltate to ovate-triangular, abaxial ridges not prominent, base glabrous, margins short-ciliate, apex bristled.
solitary, 5–10 mm;
sporophylls ovate-deltate, abaxial ridges not prominent, base glabrous, margins short-ciliate to denticulate, apex acute.
borne on upperside of stems, throughout stem length, 0.25–0.45 mm diam.
borne on upperside of stem throughout, 0.25–0.3 mm diam.
leaves lanceolate, 2–2.5 × 0.5–0.6 mm;
base decurrent, glabrous;
margins ciliate, cilia transparent to opaque, spreading or ascending, 0.06–0.13 mm.
leaves linear-lanceolate to slightly falcate (on marginal ranks), 1.9–2.25 × 0.4–0.55 mm;
base abruptly adnate, pubescent or glabrous;
margins ciliate, cilia transparent to opaque, spreading, 0.06–0.15 mm.
Selaginella hansenii
Selaginella arizonica
Leaf dimorphism in Selaginella hansenii is only slightly and inconsistently expressed; the upperside leaves tend to be more lanceolate, short, and slightly thick, whereas the underside leaves tend to be more linear, longer, and thinner, but in some specimens the leaves are monomorphic. Red leaves are rare within Selaginella subg. Tetragonostachys, otherwise found in the flora only occasionally in S. rupestris. Such leaves are more common in S. steyermarkii Alston from southern Mexico and Guatemala and S. sartorii Hieronymus from Mexico.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Selaginella arizonica can be further distinguished from the similar S. peruviana by its broad, thin underside leaves. In S. peruviana the underside leaves are narrow and fleshy.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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