Selaginella tarapotensis Baker

  • Authority

    Mickel, John T. & Beitel, Joseph M. 1988. Pteridophyte Flora of Oaxaca, Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 46: 1-580.

  • Family

    Selaginellaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Selaginella tarapotensis Baker

  • Description

    Species Description - Stems prostrate, rooting throughout, ca. 0.6-0.8 mm diam., not articulate, not flagelliform, not stoloniferous, stramineous to pale green; rhizophores stout, straight, (0.3-)0.5-0.8 mm diam.; anisophyllous throughout; lateral leaves on main stem obliquely oblong to subovate, 2-3 mm long, tapering to acute apex, base rounded, margin minutely denticulate at base and tip, lustrous and silvery below, sometimes with short white lines below, wrinkled on upper surface; median leaves ovate, long-aristate (arista 0.8 mm long, 1/3 total leaf length), with prominent midrib and white border, exauriculate, margin denticulate; axillary leaves ovate to lanceolate, exauriculate, denticulate at base; strobili 3-15 mm long and 1-2 mm wide; sporophylls monomorphic and of two colors (upper [median] two ranks green, lower [lateral] two ranks colorless), ascending, symmetric, with denticulate margins; megasporangia in two rows, smaller strobili often completely microsporangiate; megaspores white, 250-350 µm diam., with faint markings; microspores light orange, with slender, often capitate papillae.

  • Discussion

    Type. Peru. Prope Tarapoto, Spruce 4625 (K!; isotypes LE!, US!). Selaginella faucium Liebmann ex Baker, J. Bot. 21: 333. (Nov) 1883. Syntypes. Mexico. [Veracruz:] Huitamalco, Liebmann [Pl. Mex. 2047] (K; isotype H, frag. US!), Hacienda de Jovo, Liebmann [Pl. Mex. 2048] (K; isotype H). Selaginella tarapotensis, S. subrugosa and S. corrugis are characterized by their non-stoloniferous, non-flagellate, prostrate habit, stilt-like rhizophores, denticulate leaves and narrow strobili. Selaginella tarapotensis differs from S. corrugis by the long-aristate median leaves with white border (very short-cuspidate with narrow white border in S. corrugis), larger lateral leaves (2-3 mm long) with minutely denticulate apex and base (small (1-1.2 mm long), denticulate in S. corrugis). It has been collected with S. corrugis (with its type and single collection, 1043) in Villa Alta and with S. subrugosa (q.v.) in Tuxtepec and Ixtlán.

  • Distribution

    Terrestrial, frequent in wet montane forests of Atlantic slope; Choapan, Ixtlán, Mixe, Tehuantepec, Tuxtepec, Villa Alta; 250-2200 m. Mexico (Ver, Pue, Oax); Pan; Ec, Peru, Bol.

    Mexico North America| Bolivia South America| Peru South America| Amazonas Ecuador South America| Panama Central America|