Selaginella lindenii Spring

  • Authority

    Mickel, John T. & Beitel, Joseph M. 1988. Pteridophyte Flora of Oaxaca, Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 46: 1-580.

  • Family

    Selaginellaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Selaginella lindenii Spring

  • Description

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    Species Description - Stems prostrate, 3-9 cm long, ca. 0.5 mm diam., not articulate, not flagelliform, not stoloniferous, light green; anisophyllous throughout; lateral leaves obliquely oblong, tapering to subacute apex, to 1.6 mm long, attachment nearly central, base rounded on acroscopic edge, truncate on basiscopic, long-ciliate in basal of acroscopic edge, remainder entire or minutely denticulate, pubescent with short hairs on upper surface, smooth and lustrous below; median leaves ovate, acuminate, midrib prominent, base exauriculate or scarcely auriculate with a small auricle, margin long-ciliate with a narrow white border; axillary leaves oblong-lanceolate, exauriculate with rounded base, margin long-ciliate and white-bordered in proximal ¾ of leaf; strobili 1.5 mm wide, 2-7 mm long; sporophylls monomorphic and of two colors (upper [median] two ranks green, lower [lateral] two ranks colorless), ascending, symmetric, with long-ciliate margin and prominent keel; megasporangia at base of strobilus; megaspores white, 220-280 µm diam., with low reticulum of ridges; microspores pale orange, with high slender anastomosing spinulose ridges.

  • Discussion

    Type. Mexico. Tabasco: Teapa, Linden s.n. (P; isotype BM!). Short hairs on the upper surface of the lateral leaves distinguish S. lindenii from all other Oaxacan species with leaves 1-1.5 mm long other than S. porphyrospora, S. bernoullii and S. disticha. These latter three species all have dentic- ulate lateral and median leaves, and denticulate sporophylls (versus ciliate in S. lindenii).

  • Distribution

    Wet banks in montane forests; Ixtlán, Juchitán, Mixe; 180-1300 m. Mexico (Oax, Chis, Tab).

    Mexico North America|