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Huperzia ophioglossoides (Lam.) Rothm. [family LYCOPODIACEAE]

Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical East Africa, page 1, (2005) Author: B. Verdcourt, B.Sc., Ph.D.
Names
Huperzia ophioglossoides (Lam.) Rothm. [family LYCOPODIACEAE], in F.R. 54: 62 (1944); Tardieu in Fl. Madag. 13 & 13 bis: 40, fig. 8/9–12 (1971); Schippers in Fern Gaz. 14: 175 (1993); Faden in U.K.W.F. ed. 2: 38 (1994). Type: Mauritius (Isle de France), Commerson (P-LAM, holo.) (microfiche!)
Lycopodium ophioglossoides Lam. [family LYCOPODIACEAE], Encycl. Méth. Bot. 3: 646 (1789); Chr. in Dansk Bot. Arkiv 7: 192 (1932); Alston in Exell, Cat. Vasc. Pl. São Tomé: 96 (1944) & Ferns W. Tr. Afr.: 12 (1959); Tardieu, Fl. Cameroun 3: 12, t. 1/12–19 (1964); Schelpe, F.Z. Pterid.: 18, t. 3 (1970); Schelpe, & Diniz, Fl. Moçamb. Pterid.: 13 (1979); W. Jacobsen, Ferns S. Afr. 13, fig. 79 (1893); Schelpe & N.C. Anthony, F.S.A. Pterid.: 9, fig. 4/3 (1986); Burrows, S. Afr. Ferns: 16, t. 1/6, fig. 3/6, 6a (1990)
Lycopodium gnidioides [family LYCOPODIACEAE], sensu Peter, F.D.-O.A. 1: 88 (1929), non L.f.
Urostachys ellenbeckii Nessel [family LYCOPODIACEAE], in F.R. 36: 188, t. 175 (1934). Type: Ethiopia, ‘Schoa u Galla Hochland’, Ellenbeck s.n. (BONN-Nessel 544 pro parte, lecto.)
Urostachys adolfi-friederici Nessel [family LYCOPODIACEAE], Bärlappgewächse: 226 (1939) (nom. inval.) quoad Mildbraed 1358 (BM!, photo) (later the name was validated in Rev. Sudam. Bot. 6: 167 (1940) with Fishlock 83 from Ghana as type) (see note)
Huperzia ellenbeckii (Nessel) Pic.Serm. [family LYCOPODIACEAE], in Webbia 23: (1968)
Huperzia afromontana Pic.Serm. [family LYCOPODIACEAE], in Webbia 27: 394, fig. 2 (1973) & in B.J.B.B. 53: 183 (1983); Faden in U.K.W.F. ed. 2: 38 adnot (1994). Type: Burundi, Bururi, Mt Bururi, Lewalle 3468 (Herb. Pic. Serm. 24932, holo.)
Information
Pendulous epiphyte or sometimes on rocks; stems (10–)30–150 cm long, dichotomously branched, 1–1.5 cm wide including leaves. Leaves loosely arranged, not entirely hiding the stem, 2–3-ranked, lanceolate, 8–12(–15) mm long, 1.5–3(–4) mm wide, acute at the apex but usually not sharp, not or scarcely coriaceous, ± erect or spreading at about 45°. Fertile parts strobiliform and usually well differentiated from leaves (but sometimes sporangia in axils of leaves indistinguishable from foliage leaves), 2–30(–40) cm long, dichotomously branched, often interrupted by a groupof vegetative leaves. Sporophylls ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 2–4 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, ± acute, adpressed or closely imbricate but often not entirely hiding the axis, often shiny. Sporangia yellow, 1.2–1.5 mm wide. Fig. 1 (page 8).
Range
DISTR. U 2, 3; K 3, 4, 7; T 2, 3, 5–7
Altitude range
(1600–)1800–3250 m
Distribution
KENYA Elgeyo District Kaibwibich peak, 6 Aug. 1969, Mabberley & McCall 158!KENYA South Nyeri District Mt Kenya, Kamweti track, 26 Jan. 1969, Faden 69/092!;KENYA Teita District Taita Hills, Yale Peak, 13 Sept. 1953, Drummond & Hemsley 4321!TANZANIA Moshi District Kilimanjaro, above Kidia (Old Moshi), 18 Jan. 1997, Hemp 1442!;TANZANIA Kondoa District Kinyassi Mt, Feb. 1928, B.D. Burtt 1837! & 1838!;TANZANIA Morogoro District Uluguru Mts, Bondwa Hill, 23 Mar. 1953, Drummond & Hemsley 1769!UGANDA Toro District Ruwenzori, near Nyamuleju Hut, 18 June 1968, Manum 99! & Ruwenzori, Mubuku crossing, August 1931, Fishlock & Hancock 155!;UGANDA Mbale District Mt Nkokonjeru, 20 Dec. 1924, Snowden 951!
Distribution (external)
Bioko
Cameroon
Congo (Kinshasa)
Rwanda
Burundi
Sudan
Ethiopia
Malawi
Mozambique
Zimbabwe
South Africa; Madagascar
Réunion
Mauritius (see footnote on p. 7 – sub type of this species)
Comoro Is
Notes
Although the fertile branches are nearly always distinctly strobiliform, there are specimens where the sporangia occur in axils of leaves mostly indistinguishable from foliage leaves, e.g. Thulin & Mhoro 2273 (Kilosa District, Ukaguru Mts, Mamiwa Mt, 31 May 1978) and Pócs & Mabberley 6740/B (from same area, 30 July 1972) also Richards 6694 (Mbeya District, Kikondo, 21 Oct. 1956). Whether these plants would have developed the normal strobiliform areas is not clear and field studies are needed. Schippers (Fern Gaz. 14: 175 (1993)) has commented on these.There is at K a fragmentary specimen (Usambara, Höfer coll. in 1901) sent in 1923 by Nessel under the name Lycopodium adolfi-friederici Hert. This appears to me to be Huperzia ophioglossoides. Alston (Ferns W. Trop. Afr.: 12 (1959)) makes Urostachys adophi-friederici a synonym of Lycopodium staudtii (Nessel) Adams & Alston i.e. Huperzia staudtii (Nessel) Pic.Serm.
Huperzia ophioglossoides (Lam.) Rothm. [family LYCOPODIACEAE]
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