Species
Lycopodium scariosum
Etymology
Lycopodium: From the Greek lukos (wolf) and podion (foot)
scariosum: thin a dry; from the Latin scariosus; general appearance
Common Name(s)
Creeping 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 scariosum G.Forst.
Family
Lycopodiaceae
Flora Category
Vascular - Native
LYCSCA
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
Lycopodium scariosum var. decurrens (R.Br.) Hook.; Lycopodium distans Colenso; Lycopodium lessonianum A.Rich.; Stachygynandrum scariosum (G.Forst.) P.Beauv.; Diphasium decurrens (R.Br.) Holub; Diphasium scariosum (G.Forst.) Rothm.; Lycopodium decurrens R.Br.
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: North, South, Stewart, Chatham, Antipodes, Campbell, and Auckland Islands (from near Mangamuka south but scarce in Northland). Also Australia, Philipines, Borneo and New Guinea.
Habitat
Coastal to subalpine (mostly montane in the northern North island). A species of open habitats such as mossy roadside banks, stream banks, shrubland, and peaty ground (rarely restiad bog).
Features
Main stems prostrate, creeping to 1 m or more long, with scattered appressed scale-like leaves. Branchlets spreading to ascending (up to 0.5 m tall), dorsiventral, much-branched. Sterile leaves dimorphic, yellowish-green; upper leaves in 2 alternating rows flattened in 1 plane, firm to rigid, decurrent, 3-5 mm long, 1.0-1.5 mm wide ovate to lanceolate often falcate; leaves of undersurface in 2 rows, up to 0.2 mm long, scale-like, with translucent membranous obtuse usually dilated tips. Strobili erect, terminal, 10-50 mm long, orange-brown, mostly solitary, rarely paired. Sporophylls imbricate, subpeltate, ovate-saggitate, stramineous, with translucent membranous tips. Description adapted from Chinnock (1998) and Brownsey & Smith-Dodsworth (2000).
Similar Taxa
The yellow-green colour, flattened leaves and mostly solitary, stalked strobili serve to distinguish this species from all other representatives of the family in New Zealand. Lycopodium scariosum is perhaps most similar to reduced states of L. volubile from which it differs by the smaller stem and branch leaves being confined to the lower surface of stems and by the erect, solitary (rarely paired) rather than clustered and pendulous strobili.
Flowering
N.A.
Flower Colours
No Flowers
Fruiting
N.A.
Propagation Technique
Difficult. Should not be removed from the wild.
Threats
Not Threatened
Chromosome No.
2n = 60
Endemic Taxon
No
Endemic Genus
No
Endemic Family
No
Where To Buy
Not commercially available.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 20 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 20 Dec 2013