Selaginella mutica
Selaginella wallacei
bluntleaf spikemoss
Wallace's selaginella, Wallace's spike-moss
radially symmetric, long- to short-creeping, not readily fragmenting, ± regularly forked, without budlike arrested branches, tips straight;
main stem indeterminate, lateral branches determinate, 1–2-forked.
radially symmetric, creeping or decumbent, not readily fragmenting, irregularly forked, without budlike arrested branches, tips straight;
main stem long, indeterminate, lateral branches determinate, ascending, 1–2-forked.
monomorphic, in ± alternate pseudowhorls of 3, tightly appressed, ascending, green, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate or lanceolate-elliptic, 1–2 × 0.45–0.6 mm;
abaxial ridges well defined;
base rounded and adnate, sometimes slightly decurrent, pubescent or glabrous;
margins ciliate to denticulate, cilia transparent, spreading or ascending, 0.03–0.17 mm;
apex keeled, obtuse or slightly attenuate, nearly truncate in profile, blunt to short-bristled;
bristle transparent to greenish transparent or whitish, smooth, 0.06–0.45 mm.
monomorphic, in ± alternate pseudowhorls of 4, tightly or loosely appressed, ascending, green, linear-lanceolate, (1.5–)1.8–3.5 × 0.39–0.66 mm;
abaxial ridges well defined;
base rounded and adnate or cuneate and slightly decurrent on fleshy, loosely appressed stem leaves (from wet places), pubescent, seldom glabrous;
margins short-ciliate to denticulate, cilia transparent, spreading at base, dentiform, and ascending toward apex, 0.03–0.06(–0.1) mm;
apex keeled and obtuse, sometimes attenuate or plane and attenuate, abruptly short- to long-bristled;
bristle transparent to whitish, puberulent, sometimes breaking off, (0.16–)0.2–0.46(–0.9) mm.
solitary, (0.6–)1–3 cm;
sporophylls ovate-lanceolate, ovate-elliptic, or deltate-ovate, abaxial ridges well defined, base glabrous, margins ciliate to denticulate, apex strongly to slightly keeled, short-bristled to blunt.
often paired, 1–4.5(–9) cm;
sporophylls deltate-ovate (mostly on exposed and compact mats) or lanceolate-ovate (on loose, spreading mats from wet places), abaxial ridges well defined, base glabrous, margins short-ciliate to denticulate, apex keeled, abruptly short-bristled, seldom tapering into bristle.
borne on upperside of stems, throughout stem length, 0.13–0.23 mm diam.
borne on upperside of stems, throughout stem length, 0.23–0.36(–0.4) mm diam.
= 18.
Selaginella mutica
Selaginella wallacei
Selaginella mutica, S. underwoodii (R. M. Tryon 1955; C. A. Weatherby 1943), and S. wallacei all have similar patterns of variation. Study is needed to assess to what degree such variability is caused by environmental or genetic factors. Within S. mutica, two rather distinct, morphologic extremes are recognized here as varieties. Many specimens having leaves with spreading, long, marginal cilia and a short, broken, apical bristle have been considered intermediate between the two varieties, but they belong in S. mutica var. mutica.
Selaginella mutica may be one of the parent species of the putative hybrid species S. × neomexicana (see discussion). Selaginella mutica is often found growing in the same habitat with S. underwoodii, S. × neomexicana, and S. weatherbiana. According to R. M. Tryon (1955), where the two grow together, S. mutica mats gradually entirely replace mats of S. underwoodii over time. Selaginella mutica is sometimes confused with S. viridissima.
Varieties 2.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Selaginella wallacei is extremely variable depending on its habitat (R. M. Tryon 1955). Plants in dry, exposed conditions have short stems, form compact mats with tightly appressed leaves adnate to the stem, and have a rather keeled, abruptly bristled apex. Plants from moist habitats have long stems, form rather moderately long-creeping mats, and have less appressed, decurrent, fleshy leaves, with a more plane-attenuate apex that gradually tapers into a bristle. Plants from exposed, dry conditions sometimes are confused with S. scopulorum, but they have a keeled apex with well-defined ridges on the abaxial groove whereas in S. scopulorum the leaf apex is ± plane and attenuate, and the ridges on the abaxial groove are not prominent. Plants from moist habitats somewhat resemble plants of S. underwoodii.
R. M. Tryon (1955) found strobili 9 cm long in Selaginella wallacei, the longest strobili known within subg. Tetragonostachys and comparable only to those of S. oregana.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Margins of sporophylls usually long-ciliate, seldom denticulate, cilia spreading; apex of leaves with or without bristle, 0.03–0.06 mm; leaf margins long- ciliate, rarely denticulate, cilia spreading. | var. mutica |
1. Margins of sporophylls mostly very short-ciliate to denticulate, cilia and teeth ascending; apex of leaves with bristle 0.2–0.45 mm; leaf margins short-ciliate to denticulate, cilia and teeth ascending. | var. limitanea |
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