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Huperzia australiana

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Huperzia australiana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Lycophytes
Class: Lycopodiopsida
Order: Lycopodiales
Family: Lycopodiaceae
Genus: Huperzia
Species:
H. australiana
Binomial name
Huperzia australiana
(Herter) Holub
Synonyms
  • Lycopodium australianum Herter

Huperzia australiana is a species of small terrestrial plant, a firmoss, in the Lycopodiaceae (clubmoss) family. It is native to Australia and New Zealand.

Distribution and habitat

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The plant occurs at sheltered sites in subalpine and subantarctic regions, in grasslands and around bogs, up to 2000 m above sea level.[1]

Description

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Huperzia australiana has decumbent stems with densely tufted, erect branches up to 300 mm long, usually branched 2 or 3 times. The leaves are crowded, appressed to spreading, 5–9 mm long, 0.5–1.5 mm wide in the middle and tapering to a point. It reproduces vegetatively through the often numerous small bulbils which form along the stem. The sporophylls are similar to the foliage leaves; no strobili are formed; the bright yellow, kidney-shaped sporangia are produced in the upper leaf axils.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Wilson, Peter G.; Chinnock, R.J. (2000). "Huperzia australiana (Herter) Holub". PlantNET. National Herbarium of NSW: Sydney. Retrieved 2013-02-24.