Species

Lycopodium deuterodensum

Etymology

Lycopodium: From the Greek lukos (wolf) and podion (foot)

Common Name(s)

clubmoss

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Authority

Lycopodium deuterodensum Herter

Family

Lycopodiaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

LYCDEU

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Lycophytes (clubmosses, selaginella, quillworts)

Synonyms

Lepidotis densa Rothm.; Lycopodium densum Labill.; Pseudolycopodium densum (Rothm.) Holub

Distribution

Indigenous. New Zealand: North and Chatham Islands (from North Cape to Lake Taupo and nearby river catchments). Also Australia and New Caledonia.

Habitat

Coastal and lowland forests in gumland scrub, on forest margins and ridgelines (especially in kauri forest), or in open clay pans within tall forest.

Features

Rhizome creeping, to 3 m long, clothed in slightly spreading scale leaves. Branchlet systems erect, 0.1-1.0 m tall. Leaves spiral to subwhorled, imbricate, appressed or spreading, adnate, dimorphic, green, yellow-green to yellow. Leaves of sterile branchlets linear-lanceolate, attenuate, 2.0-4.5 mm long, spreading. Leaves of sporogenous branchlets ovate-lanceolate, attenuate, 1.0-2.5 mm long; margins membranous, translucent, ciliate around the base. Leaves of central axis (sporogenous and sterile) similar to those of sterile branchlets, but appressed, 4.5-6.0 mm long. Strobili terminal on ultimate branchlets, 10-35 mm long, solitary. Sporophylls imbricate, acute; margins membranous, fimbriate. Description adapted from Chinnock (1998) and Brownsey & Smith-Dodsworth (2000).

Similar Taxa

None. Easily recognised by the stout, erect, aerial branches which resemble a small conifer. Lycopodium deuterodensum could possibly be confused with L. fastigiatum except that, L. fastigiatum is a species of montane habitats (it is never found growing with L. deuterodensum), and the leaves on the branchlets of fertile specimens are not appressed as they are in L. deuterodensum.

Flowering

Not applicable (spore producing)

Flower Colours

No Flowers

Fruiting

Not applicable (spore producing)

Propagation Technique

Can be grown with some difficulty. Best results have been achieved with plants grown on untreated saw dust.

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 68

Endemic Taxon

No

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Where To Buy

Not Commerically Available

 

Attribution

Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 17 March 2011. Description adapted from Chinnock (1998) and Brownsey & Smith-Dodsworth (2000).

References and further reading

Brownsey, P.J.; Smith-Dodsworth, J.C. 2000: New Zealand Ferns and Allied Plants. Auckland, David Bateman

Chinnock, R.J. 1998: Lycopodiaceae. Flora of Australia 48: 66-85.

This page last updated on 11 Aug 2014