Nodding clubmoss (Lycopodiella cernua)

Nodding clubmoss (Lycopodiella cernua) is plant species, terrestrial herbs with main stems creeping indefinitely, rooting at long intervals and at least 40 varieties have been described that are difficult to distinguish.

L. cernua has erect shoots and resembles small pine trees up to 100 cm tall, green and yellow, distal has many branches and arranged opposite, very compound with the ultimate whitish branch and nods down.



The leaves are arranged in a spiral, linearly circulated, 2-5 mm long, 0.1-0.3 mm wide, wide widened base, sharp pointed apices, overall margins, thick and stiff but soft, gradually changing from patent-reflexes and somewhat deep on the shoot axis to rise and approach the ultimate branches.

Conical structures that produce spore terminals on branches, sessile, ovoid to ellipsoid, 3-25 long and 1.5-5 mm wide. Sporophylls ovate become deltoid, 2x1 mm, rough and irregularly cut edges and yellowish or greenish.

The life cycle is somewhat different from true ferns because spores only germinate when covered in soil and total darkness. As they germinate, spores give rise to fleshy gametophytes that contain male and female sex organs.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Lycopodiopsida
Order: Lycopodiales
Family: Lycopodiaceae
Subfamily: Lycopodielloideae
Genus: Lycopodiella Holub in Preslia 36: 20 (1964)
Species: Lycopodiella cernua (L.) Pic.Serm. in Webbia 23: 166 (1968)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Lepidotis cernua (L.) P.Beauv. in Prodr. Aethéogam.: 108 (1805)
Lycopodium cernuum L. in Sp. Pl.: 1103 (1753)
Palhinhaea cernua (L.) Franco & Vasc. in Bol. Soc. Brot., sér. 2, 41: 25 (1967)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Lycopodiella cernua var. caboverdeana (Gilli) O.Eriksson, A.Hansen & Sunding in Fl. Macaronesia, ed. 2, 1: 92 (1979)
Lycopodiella cernua var. capillacea (Willd. ex Spring) D.Heller in Consp. Fl. Orient. 9: 167 (1994)
Lycopodiella cernua var. sikkimensis (Müll.Hal.) Panigrahi & Sarn.Singh in Ferns Fern-Allies Arunachal Pradesh 1: 54 (2005)
Lycopodium brevibracteatum Alderw. in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, sér. 2, 24: 5 (1917)
Lycopodium capillaceum (Willd. ex Spring) Willd. ex Spring in Nouv. Mém. Acad. Roy. Sci. Bruxelles 15: 79 (1842)
Lycopodium cernuum var. blancheanum Stehlé in Fl. Agron. Antilles Franç. 3: 138 (1960)
Lycopodium cernuum var. brevifolium Christ in Bull. Herb. Boissier, sér. 2, 3: 620 (1903)
Lycopodium cernuum var. caboverdeanum Gilli in Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 115: 39 (1976)
Lycopodium cernuum var. capillaceum Willd. ex Spring in Flora 21: 165 (1838)
Lycopodium cernuum var. chaminadeanum Stehlé (1960)
Lycopodium cernuum var. crassifolium Spring (1842)
Lycopodium cernuum f. durissimum Herter ex Nessel in Bärlappgewächse: 355 (1939)
Lycopodium cernuum var. dussii Christ in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 24: 147 (1897)
Lycopodium cernuum f. ingens B.C.Tan & Tolentino in Philipp. J. Sci. 116: 438 (1987)
Lycopodium cernuum var. laxum Blume in Enum. Pl. Javae 2: 266 (1828)
Lycopodium cernuum f. macrostachyum Christ in Primit. Fl. Costaric. 3: 55 (1901)
Lycopodium cernuum var. majus C.Presl in Reliq. Haenk. 1: 80 (1825)
Lycopodium cernuum var. medium C.Presl (1825)
Lycopodium cernuum var. minus C.Presl (1825)
Lycopodium cernuum var. panamense Wercklé ex Nessel (1939)
Lycopodium cernuum f. sikkimense (Müll.Hal.) H.S.Kung in Acta Phytotax. Sin. 18: 239 (1980)
Lycopodium cernuum var. sikkimense (Müll.Hal.) C.B.Clarke in Trans. Linn. Soc. London, Bot. 1: 592 (1880)
Lycopodium cernuum var. watsonianum Herter ex Nessel (1939)
Lycopodium heeschii Müll.Hal. in Bot. Zeitung (Berlin) 19: 164 (1861)
Lycopodium hupeanum Müll.Hal. (1861)
Lycopodium marianum Willd. in Sp. Pl., ed. 4. 5: 31 (1810)
Lycopodium polycephalum Colenso in Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 27: 401 (1894 publ. 1895)
Lycopodium secundum Müll.Hal. (1861) Lycopodium sikkimense Müll.Hal. (1861)
Palhinhaea brevibracteata (Alderw.) Holub in Folia Geobot. Phytotax. 20: 78 (1985)
Palhinhaea capillacea (Willd. ex Spring) Holub (1985)
Palhinhaea cernua f. ciliatomarginata W.M.Chu in Fl. Yunnanica 20: 718 (2006)
Palhinhaea cernua var. lanceolata Gias & Pasha in Indian Fern J. 14: 26 (1998)
Palhinhaea cernua f. laxa (Blume) Satou in Hikobia 12: 269 (1997)
Palhinhaea cernua f. sikkimensis (Müll.Hal.) H.S.Kung in Fl. Sichuanica 6: 50 (1988)
Palhinhaea cernua var. sikkimensis (Müll.Hal.) Ching in Acta Bot. Yunnan. 3: 6 (1981)
Palhinhaea crassifolia (Spring) Fraser-Jenk. & Kholia in Annot. Checkl. Ind. Pterid. 3: 310 (2020)
Palhinhaea lufengensis C.Y.Yang in Tradit. Herbal Drugs 16(7): 34 (1985)
Palhinhaea mariana (Willd.) Holub (1985)
Palhinhaea polycephala (Colenso) Holub (1985)

PUBLICATIONS

(2020). https://www.mapress.com/j/pt/article/view/phytotaxa.442.1.1/39676. epublication.

Allan, H.A. (1961). Flora of New Zealand 1: 1-1085. Botany division, D.S.I.R., Christchurch.

Barthelat, F. (2019). La flore illustrée de Mayotte: 1-687. Biotope éditions.

Chang, C.-S., Kim, H. & Chang, K.S. (2021). Checklist of Far East Asian Vascular Flora 1: 1-626. EABCN, Seoul.

Ebihara, A. (2016). The standard of ferns and lycophytes in Japan. Nihonsan shida shokubutsu hyojun zukan 1: 1-475. Gakken Plus, Tokyo.

Fraser-Jenkins, C.R. & al. (2017). An Annotated Checklist of Indian Pteridophytes 1: 1-562. Dehra Dun : BSMPS.

Fraser-Jenkins, C.R. & al. (2018). An Annotated Checklist of Indian Pteridophytes 2: 1-573. Dehra Dun : BSMPS.

Gosline, G., Bidault, E., van der Burgt, X., Cahen, D., Challen, G., Condé, N., Couch, C., Couvreur, T.L.P., Dagallier, L.M.J., Darbyshire, I., Dawson, S., Doré, T.S., Goyder, D., Grall, A., Haba, P., Haba, P., Harris, D., Hind, D.J.N., Jongkind, & al. (2023). A Taxonomically-verified and Vouchered Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Republic of Guinea. Nature, scientific data 10, Article number: 327: [1]-[12].

Meyer, J.-Y. (2017). Guide des plantes de Wallis et Futuna: 1-486. Au vent des iles, editions, Tahiti.

Newman, M., Ketphanh, S., Svengsuksa, B., Thomas, P., Sengdala, K., Lamxay, V. & Armstrong, K. (2007). A checklist of the vascular plants of Lao PDR: 1-394. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh. Roux, J.P. (2016). The Lycopods and Ferns of Drakensberg and Lesotho: 1-384. Briza academic books, Pretoria, South Africa.

Sarder, N.U. & Hassan, M.A. (eds.) (2018). Vascular flora of Chittagong and the Chittagong Hill Tracts 1: 1-897. Bangladesh National Herbarium, Dhaka.

Schäfer, H. (2021). Flora of the Azores a field guide: 1-445. Margraf Publishers GmbH.

Singh, S.K. & al. (2023). Pteridophytes of Meghalaya. A pictorial guide: 1-246. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh.

VERNACULAR NAME

Afrikaans: Fairy Christmas tree, Wolfsklou
Chinese (simplified): 垂穗石松
Chinese (traditional): 垂穗石松 - 燈籠草 - 過山龍 - 鋪地蜈蚣
Dutch: Knikkende Wolfsklauw
English: Nodding Clubmoss, Staghorn clubmoss, Fairy christmas tree, Nodding club-moss, Monkey's paws, Nodding clubmoss
Filipino: Lamong-babae, Kolokolud, Samong-babai
Finnish: Nuokkukonnanlieko
French: Fougère décorative, Patte d'araignée
Hawaiian: Wāwae‘iole
Indonesia: Paku kawat
Japanese: ミズスギ
Java: Pakis kawat, Singingiri
Korean: 물석송
Lao: Kout ngong, Kout khi khép
Malaysia: Paku serani, Rumput serani, Rumput kenarus
Palauan: Olcheiulabeab
Portuguese: Licopódio-de-valongo, Musgo-do-mato, Pinheirinho
Romaji: Mizu-sugi
Russian: Плаунок поникший
Spanish: Azufre vegetal, Colchón de pobre, Pata de gato
Thai: สนสามร้อยยอด

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
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