Selaginella moritziana Spring
Descripción
Stems creeping or ascending to suberect, stramineous to greenish, 8–22 cm long, 0.4–0.8 mm diam., not articulate, not flagelliform, stoloniferous or not, 2–3 times branched; rhizophores borne throughout stem length, or restricted to proximal 1⁄4–1⁄2 of stems, filiform to stout, 0.1–0.2 mm diam.; leaves of two kinds (anisophyllous) throughout stem length; lateral leaves ovate to ovate-oblong, (1.7–)2.5–3.3 X (0.7-)1.2–1.9 mm, bases rounded, usually strongly or slightly overlapping stems acroscopically, denticulate to entire, apices acute to long-acuminate, upper surfaces occasionally hispid near the basiscopic margins, with or without idioblasts, lower surfaces glabrous, with conspicuous idioblasts, median leaves broadly ovate, 1–2 X 0.7–1.2 mm, bases subcordate, outer bases auriculate, margins hyaline, denticulate, apices gradually acuminate to aristate, aristae 1⁄4 or less the lamina length, 0.1–0.3 mm long, upper surfaces with conspicuous or inconspicuous idioblasts; axillary leaves similar to lateral leaves, except the margins minutely denticulate proximally, entire distally, exauriculate; strobili lax and flattened, dorsiventral, 2–8 mm long; sporophylls dimorphic, the dorsal ones green, spreading, the ventral ones hyaline to pale green, ascending; megasporangia in two ventral rows; microsporangia in two dorsal rows or absent; megaspores beige or orange, reticulatestriate to corrugate-reticulate with moderately high ridges, 270–367 µm diam.; microspores orange.A
Forma de vida
Epipétrica, TerrestreA
Ejemplar revisado
Chis (Breedlove 24378, DS, 29437, LL, NY, 31859, DS, F, MICH, NY, 51445, 53366, 55973, CAS). Oax (Wendt et al. 6811, NY).A
Elevación
1400 – 2800 mA
Ecología y Hábitat
In marshy meadows, on steep forested slopes, pastures, along waterways and road banks, on wet mossy rocks, exposed to wind and fog on Sphagnum beds.A
Tipo de vegetación
Bosque de neblina/mesófiloA
Categoría IUCN
No incluidaB
Categoría NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010
No incluidaC
Discusión taxonómica
Selaginella moritziana comprises three varieties. In Mexico only var. moritziana is present; the other two are limited to northern South America.
Selaginella moritziana is usually characterized by the presence of obscure to conspicuous idioblasts on the upper surface of median leaves, dorsal sporophylls, and occasionally on lateral leaves, by often conspicuous, short hairs on the upper surface of the lateral leaves near the basiscopic margins, by the median leaves with the inner margin hyaline throughout, composed of elongate cells, denticulate proximally and distally with the outer margin hyaline along distal half, composed of elongate cells, greenish along the proximal half, composed of ± polygonal to rounded cells, with stomata throughout. Selaginella moritziana varies in the following characteristics: habit, shape of lateral and median leaves, presence of idioblasts on the upper suface of the leaves and sporophylls, presence of submarginal hairs on the upper surface of the lateral leaves, and on the length of leaf apices.
Wendt et al. 6811 is unusual in its lateral leaves long-ciliate along proximal half, median leaves with the outer base with 2–8 long cilia, beige megaspores, sporophylls seemingly monomorphic, and quadrangular strobili. This specimen was found growing on very steep, almost vertical slopes, exposed to wind and fog on Sphagnum beds.A
Selaginella moritziana is usually characterized by the presence of obscure to conspicuous idioblasts on the upper surface of median leaves, dorsal sporophylls, and occasionally on lateral leaves, by often conspicuous, short hairs on the upper surface of the lateral leaves near the basiscopic margins, by the median leaves with the inner margin hyaline throughout, composed of elongate cells, denticulate proximally and distally with the outer margin hyaline along distal half, composed of elongate cells, greenish along the proximal half, composed of ± polygonal to rounded cells, with stomata throughout. Selaginella moritziana varies in the following characteristics: habit, shape of lateral and median leaves, presence of idioblasts on the upper suface of the leaves and sporophylls, presence of submarginal hairs on the upper surface of the lateral leaves, and on the length of leaf apices.
Wendt et al. 6811 is unusual in its lateral leaves long-ciliate along proximal half, median leaves with the outer base with 2–8 long cilia, beige megaspores, sporophylls seemingly monomorphic, and quadrangular strobili. This specimen was found growing on very steep, almost vertical slopes, exposed to wind and fog on Sphagnum beds.A