Selaginella steyermarkii Alston
Descripción
Stems prostrate, creeping, forming loose mats to 30 cm across, radially symmetric, 0.3–0.6 mm diam., not articulate, not flagelliform, not stoloniferous, 3–4 times branched; rhizophores borne throughout stem length, 0.2–0.4 mm diam.; leaves of one kind (isophyllous) throughout stem length, light green with reddish spots or totally reddish when old, ascending, linearlanceolate, 1.3–2.5 X 0.2–0.3 mm, bases truncate to slightly subcordate, abruptly adnate to stems, glabrous or puberulent, margins greenish, long-ciliate, short-ciliate to denticulate distally, cilia and teeth hyaline, apices long-aristate, aristae hyaline, 0.5–0.8 mm long; strobili quadrangular, 0.4–1.2 cm long; sporophylls monomorphic; megasporangia few, scattered in ventral rows; microsporangia in two dorsal rows and scattered in ventral rows; megaspores yellow, rugose to reticulate, with a well defined equatorial flange; microspores orange.A
Forma de vida
Epipétrica, TerrestreA
Ejemplar revisado
Chis (Breedlove 40588, ENCB, MICH, NY, TEX, 41805, CAS, 46325, CAS, ENCB, NY; Gittins 4251, 4252, NY, Matuda 1846, MICH; Stevens & Martínez S. 25724, NY, UC).A
Elevación
960 – 1700 mA
Ecología y Hábitat
On rocky soil and rock faces.A
Categoría IUCN
No incluidaB
Categoría NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010
No incluidaC
Discusión taxonómica
Selaginella steyermarkii is easily distinguished from most isophyllous species, except S. sartorii, by having leaves green with reddish spots or totally red when old and by its long-attenuate sporophylls. Selaginella steyermarkii may be confused with some specimens of S. sartorii from Tamaulipas, which occasionally have reddish leaves. Additional studies are needed to determine the relationship between the two species.A