Lycopodium cuernavacense Underw. & F.E.Lloyd
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Authority
Mickel, John T. & Beitel, Joseph M. 1988. Pteridophyte Flora of Oaxaca, Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 46: 1-580.
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Family
Lycopodiaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Plants mostly 25-70 cm long, stems arching to pendent, forked 2-4(-6) times, stems 3-7 mm diam. (without leaves); leaves isomorphic, coriaceous, lustrous, spirally arranged in many ranks, crowded and strongly imbricate, ascending and appressed to somewhat spreading, the basal ones more spreading, linear-lanceolate, 1-2 cm long, 1.3-2 mm wide, usually zoned, signifying seasons of growth; sporophylls similar to other leaves although slightly smaller; sporangia hidden by the crowded sporophylls.
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Discussion
Urostachys cuemavacensis (Underwood & Lloyd) Herter ex Nessel, Bárlappgewáchse 92. 1939 [as cuerna-vensis]. Type. Mexico. Morelos: Mts. above Cuernavaca, Pringle 7613 (NY!; isotypes GH!, US!). This is very closely allied to L. taxifolium and difficult to distinguish from it. It is generally strongly coriaceous with leaves tightly appressed and at higher elevations, but L. taxifolium appears to be quite variable in its leaf texture and degree of appression. Øllgaard (1983) stated that a few collections tend to intergrade in leaf shape and texture with L. taxifolium, but the number of ranks of leaves in the apical portion (six ranks in L. taxifolium vs. 10-12 in L. cuernavacense) serves to distinguish them. A collection from the state of México (Hinton 9966, NY) is more narrow and resembles L. hartwegianum Spring, a related species of northern South America, which has eight ranks of leaves in the apical portion. Much more work needs to be done, especially as to the effects of high elevation and marked differences in seasonal rainfall.
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Distribution
Pendent epiphyte in cloud forests; Tlaxiaco, Zimatlán; 2350-2800 m. Mexico (Sin, Mich, Mex, Mor, Oax, Chis).
Mexico North America|