Phlegmariurus filiformis (Swartz) W.H. Wagner (1995: 242)

Øllgaard, Benjamin & Testo, Weston, 2021, The Lycopodiaceae of Panamá, Phytotaxa 526 (1), pp. 1-66 : 22

. ­­­ Phlegmariurus filiformis (Swartz) W.H. Wagner (1995: 242) . Fig. 1A

Lycopodium filiforme Swartz (1801: 114) .— Urostachys filiformis (Swartz) Herter (1949: 61) .— Lycopodium acerosum Swartz var filiforme (Swartz) Spring (1840: 111) .— Lycopodium verticillatum L. f. (1782: 448) var. filiforme (Swartz) Spring (1842: 47) .— Huperzia verticillata (Linnaeus f.) Trevisan var. filiformis (Swartz) Trevisan (1874: 248) .— Huperzia filiformis (Swartz) Holub (1985: 72) . Type:— USA. Hawai‘i: “Insulae Sandwich Oceani pacifici”, specimen not located (S?).

Lycopodium polytrichoides Kaulfuss (1824: 6) .— Huperzia polytrichoides (Kaulfuss) Trevisan (1874: 248) .— Urostachys polytrichoides (Kaulfuss) Nessel (1939: 129) . Type:— USA. Hawai‘i: OWahu insularum Sandwich, Chamisso s. n. (not located, Leipzig, destroyed?).

Slender, flaccidly pendulous plants, at least to 45 cm long. Shoots gradually heterophyllous, 4–5 (–6) mm in diameter including the leaves in basal divisions, tapering to 1–2 mm in terminal divisions. Stems excluding leaves 0.5–1 mm thick at the base, tapering to ca. 0.5 mm upward, almost completely concealed by the leaves, pale greenish to stramineous, to 9 times dichotomous, usually densely, unilaterally to omnilaterally sporangiate in short zones of the terminal divisions from 7–30 cm above the base and upward. Leaves gradually modified along the stems. Leaves of basal divisions densely crowded, borne in irregular alternating whorls of 4–6, forming 8–12 indistinct longitudinal ranks, ascending to closely imbricate or somewhat secund, acicular to linear, narrowly decurrent, 4–5.5 × 0.2–0.4 mm wide just above the widened base, soft herbaceous to coriaceous, convex below, canaliculate above, with involute margins. Vegetative leaves of terminal constricted divisions borne in irregular whorls of 3–4, these 1–2 mm apart, forming 6–8 indistinct longitudinal ranks, closely appressed, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 1.3–3 × 0.4–0.6 mm, usually strongly involute (dried), short to long decurrent. Sporophylls conform, or shorter and wider, lanceolate and long acuminate to widely ovate to subcordate and acute or acuminate, usually appressed, 1–2.5 × 0.4–0.8 mm, in ultimate divisions equalling to at least twice as long as the sporangia, rounded to carinate abaxially. Sporangia 0.8–1.2 mm wide.

­­­ Distribution:— Hawaiian Islands, Central America, Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia.

Habitats:— Epiphytic, in lower montane forest, 1000–3200 m elev.

Notes:— Phlegmariurus filiformis is related to P. acerosus , P. pringlei and P. curvifolius , and their delimitation is problematic. It appears to be adapted to slightly drier growth conditions than P. acerosus . Lycopodium tortile Christ (type from Costa Rica), and Lycopodium tuerckheimii Maxon (type from Guatemala) appear conspecific.

­­­ Specimens­­­ examined:—Chiriquí: Ridge above Alto Pineda, Hammel et al. 7113 (AAU). Near El Boquete, 1000–1500 m, Cornman 953, 969 ( US). Near El Boquete, 1000–1500 m, Cornman 1034, 1104 ( US). Near El Boquete, 1500 m, Cornman 1164 (UC, US). Near El Boquete, 1300 m, Pittier 3003 (MO, US). Above Boquete, 1650–1800 m, Dressler & Williams 4009 (PMA). Km 5.7 on Volcancito road W of Boquete, 1480 m, Proctor 31882 (F, MO). SE of Campamento Fortuna (Hornito), sitio de preas subiendo hasta la finca Pittí, 1000–1200 m, Correa et al. 2405 (photos DUKE, F, PMA, UC). Volcán de Chiriquí, Boquete district, 3200 m, Davidson 1021 (F). 1 mile E of El Hato del Volcán, 1394 m, Armond 189 (photo DUKE). 1.6 mi NW of Hato del Volcán, 1394 m, Armond 198 (photo DUKE).