Selaginella eremophila

Maxon

Smithsonian Misc. Collect. 72: 3–5. 1920.

Common names: Desert spike-moss
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 2.

Plants on rock or terrestrial, forming dense mats. Stems not readily fragmenting, prostrate, upperside and underside structurally different, irregularly forked; branches determinate, tips upturned. Rhizophores borne on upperside of stems, throughout stem length, 0.2 mm diam. Leaves conspicuously dimorphic, in 8 ranks, tightly appressed, ascending, green; abaxial ridges present; apex with deciduous, twisted, transparent bristle ± 0.3 mm, becoming acute to slightly mucronate in oldest branches. Underside leaves lanceolate to lanceolate-elliptic (on central ranks) or falcate (on marginal ranks), 2–2.7 × 0.5–0.7 mm; base decurrent, glabrous; margins ciliate, cilia transparent to opaque, spreading, 0.04–0.1 mm. Upperside leaves lanceolate, 1.3–1.4 × 0.3–0.4 mm; base abruptly adnate, pubescent, hairs often running along groove; margins ciliate, cilia transparent to opaque, spreading, ca. 0.1 mm. Strobili solitary, 3–8 mm; sporophylls ovate-deltate, abaxial ridges not prominent, base glabrous, margins ciliate, apex acute to mucronate.


Habitat: Rocky and sandy slopes, in open rock or crevices or in soil
Elevation: 130–1000 m

Distribution

V2 251-distribution-map.gif

Ariz., Calif., Mexico in Baja California

Discussion

Selaginella eremophila is most closely related to the Mexican S. parishii L. Underwood and S. landii Greenman & Pfeiffer. In S. eremophila and the following two species, S. arizonica and S. peruviana, the leaves are arranged in 8 conspicuous ranks: 3 underside (2 marginal, 1 central), 2 lateral, and 3 upperside (2 marginal, 1 central).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thick" is not a number.

... more about "Selaginella eremophila"
acute +  and mucronate +
Iván A. Valdespino +
glabrous +  and pubescent +
decurrent +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (?) +
transparent +  and opaque +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.004 cm0.04 mm <br />4.0e-5 m <br />) +
Desert spike-moss +
Ariz. +, Calif. +  and Mexico in Baja California +
130–1000 m +
Rocky and sandy slopes, in open rock or crevices or in soil +
monomorphic +
fertile +  and vegetative +
linear-lanceolate;linear +
ciliate +  and serrate +
globose +, ovoid +  and tetrahedral +
tetrahedral +
Smithsonian Misc. Collect. +
alternating +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (?) +
adjacently +  and monomorphic +
fertile +  and vegetative +
branched +, not +  and articulate +
dimorphic +, climbing +  and cespitose +
decumbent;creeping;prostrate +
quadrangular +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
Selaginella eremophila +
Selaginella subg. Tetragonostachys +
species +
branched +  and not articulate +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.27 cm2.7 mm <br />0.0027 m <br />) +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br />) +
erect +  and creeping +
branched +  and not articulate +
0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br /> (0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br />) +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br />) +
erect +  and creeping +
differentiated +
perennial +  and annual +
epiphytic +  and hemiepiphytic +
12 +, 11 +, 10 +, 9 +, 8 +  and 7 +