Phlegmariurus mollicomus (Spring) B. Øllgaard (2012a: 481)

Øllgaard, Benjamin & Testo, Weston, 2021, The Lycopodiaceae of Panamá, Phytotaxa 526 (1), pp. 1-66 : 35

22.­­­ Phlegmariurus mollicomus (Spring) B. Øllgaard (2012a: 481) .—Fig. 19B

Lycopodium dichotomum Jacquin ssp. mollicomum Martius ex Spring (1838: 162) .— Lycopodium mollicomum Spring (1840: 113) .— Lycopodium setaceum Hamilton var. brasiliense Spring (1842: 43) .— Huperzia setacea (Hamilton ex D. Don 1825: 18) Trevisan var. mollicoma (Spring) Trevisan (1874: 248) .— Urostachys mollicomus (Spring) Nessel (1927: 407) .— Urostachys setaceus (Hamilton) Nessel var. brasiliensis (Spring) Nessel (1927: 408) .— Huperzia mollicoma (Spring) Holub (1985: 75) . Type:— BRAZIL: Paraì; “Sylvis Paraënsis”, Martius s. n. (M holotype).

Lycopodium flaccidum Feìe (1872–73: 92), non Bory (1833: 9) = Selaginella .— Urostachys flaccidus (Feìe) Herter (1923: 164) .— Huperzia flaccida (Feìe) Holub (1985: 72) .— Urostachys neptuni Herter (1949a: 72) . Type:— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro: “Brasilia fluminensi, Alto Macahe”, Glaziou 4677 (P holotype; B, C, RB isotypes).

Lycopodium williamsii Underwood & F.Lloyd (1906: 112) .— Urostachys williamsii (Underwood & Lloyd) Nessel (1939: 164) . Type:— BOLIVIA: New Brazil, 5,500 ft., Williams 1393 (NY holotype; AAU, GH, US isotypes).

Pendulous plants, usually with flaccidly hanging divisions, to 30 cm long. Shoots homophyllous or almost so, almost equally thick throughout, 7–15 mm in diameter including the leaves, or gradually tapering to ca. 5 mm in diameter. Stems excluding leaves 0.5–1 mm thick at the base, often tapering to 0.3 mm, prominently to sharply ridged by decurrent leaf veins, discontinuously or ultimately continuously sporangiate from 6–15 cm above the base and upward, to 6 (–8) times dichotomous. Leaves borne in alternating, irregular, often oblique whorls of 4–5 in basal divisions, or of 3–4 in terminal divisions, the whorls 1–2 mm apart, forming 6–10 obscure longitudinal ranks, in basal divisions ascending to patent, upward more appressed, rarely slightly twisted at the base, straight to slightly upward curved, linear to linear-subulate. Leaves of basal divisions (7–) 10–13 × 0.5–0.7 mm, not or very slightly widened at the base, adaxially flat or convex, usually somewhat revolute (dried), abaxially with sharply prominent vein at least in the basal half. Leaves of terminal sporangiate divisions 7–11 mm long, usually loosely appressed, otherwise conform, or almost flat, with less prominent vein, often slightly widened at the base (not auriculate), rarely tinged with red on the margins near the base. Decurrent leaf bases not wider than lamina. Sporangia ca. 1 mm wide.

­­­ Distribution:— Hispaniola, Costa Rica, Panamá, Colombia, Venezuela, central and southeastern Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia.

­­­ Habitats:—Epiphytic in lower montane forest. 1300–1900 m elev.

­­­ Notes: — Phlegmariurus mollicomus resembles P. sarmentosus (Andes) , and P. watsonianus . It differs in the lack of leaf base auricles, the more ascending to appressed leaves, and in the sharply prominent leaf vein and revolute margins. Molecular data ( Testo et al. 2018b) point to a closer relationship to the group of P. dichotomus and P. hippurideus .

­­­ Specimens­­­studied:— Chiriquí:­­­ Vicinity of Fortuna Dam. Along trail across valley south of lake, 1300–1400 m, McPherson 10391 (photo MO p.p.). Road to Cerro Punta National Park from Alto Quiel and Boquete, 1850 m, McPherson 8021 (MO). Ridge S of Campamento Luchio, 1900 m, Monro & Alfaro 4517 (MO).