Huperzia asiatica (Ching) N. Shrestha & X.C. Zhang

Shrestha, Nawal & Zhang, Xian-Chun, 2015, On the presence of North American clubmoss Huperzia lucidula (Lycopodiaceae) in China: An intercontinental disjunction or misidentification, Phytotaxa 219 (3), pp. 243-252 : 249

Huperzia asiatica (Ching) N. Shrestha & X.C. Zhang , comb. & stat. nov.

Basionym:— Huperzia lucidula var. asiatica Ching (1981: 296) .

Type:— CHINA. Jilin: Changbai Shan, 1800 m, S. L. Soong 197 (holotype: PE).

Plants terrestrial, 16–20 cm tall. Stem erect, 1.5–2.0 mm thick, dichotomously branched, branches 2–3 with visible zonation of fertile and sterile leaves, width of widest part of the branchlet less than 1.5 cm, upper portion with numerous gemmae. Leaves subulate to narrowly oblanceolate, 4.5–9.5 mm long, 0.5–1.3 mm wide, reflexed or attached at right angle with the stem, base as wide as the middle portion, margin irregularly serrated, distantly spaced teeth present at the upper margin, teeth inconspicuous in some leaves, apex acute, base truncate, sessile, decurrent. Sporangia reniform, yellowish, attached on the axil of leaves, clearly visible from outside.

Additional specimens examined:— CHINA. Jilin: Antu, Changbai Shan , 1600 m, 20 Jul 1982, C. Y. Yang 4192 ( PE01563596 ) ; 18 Jul 1982, C. Y. Yang 4192 ( PE01563599 ) ; Xiaotianchi , 1500 m, 18 Jul 1982, C. Y. Yang s.n. ( PE01563597 , PE01563598 ) ; Anon. s.n. ( PE01363972 ) ; 1650 m, 10 Jun 2014, PE-NIBR Changbaishan Exped. 230-2 ( PE) ; 1650 m, 10 Jun 2014, PE-NIBR Changbaishan Exped. 230-6 ( PE) ; 1650 m, 10 Jun 2014, PE-NIBR Changbaishan Exped. 230-7 ( PE) ; Wangqing, Daxinggou forest , 26 Aug 1983, C. Y. Yang 4797 ( PE01563600 , PE01563601 ) .

Ecology and distribution:— Huperzia asiatica has only been recorded from the Chang Bai Mountain in Jilin province, northeastern China. It is therefore likely to be endemic to this mountain, where it grows under moist conifer forests at an elevation of 1500–1800 m.

IUCN Red List category:— The species has a restricted distribution in the Chang Bai Mountain. Since the population is very small and distribution is restricted to few localities, the taxon is susceptible to high risk of endangerment in the wild. Therefore we categorize H. asiatica as Vulnerable (VU) based on IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria version 3.1 second edition ( IUCN 2012).

Etymology:— The epithet asiatica refers to the Asian continent.