Belongs within: Lycopodiales.
Contains: Lycopodium section Phlegmariurus.
Lycopodium is a genus of club mosses. Different authors have applied different circumscriptions to this genus, which may have a number of distinct genera separated out from it. Even when treated narrowly, the genus includes species with a wide variety of growth forms, from low matted forms to high climbers, with the greatest diversity found in northern and southern temperate regions and on tropical mountains (Øllgaard 1990).
Lycopodium selago is a cosmopolitan species with multifarious leaves and sporangia at the upper base of unaltered leaves at intervals all down the stem (Cheeseman 1906).
Characters (from Øllgaard 1990): Sporophytes terrestrial, anisotomously branched, with elongate, indeterminate, subterranean, creeping or climbing main stems, and determinate lateral, ascending to erect or spreading branchlet systems arising at inclined angles. Stele of main stems and major branchlets with xylem in parallel bands; in minor branchlets, peduncles and strobili usually with radially arranged xylem. Roots emerging directly along underside of main stems, with parallel-banded stele in main roots. Leaves uniform throughout, or branchlets anisophyllous. Strobili erect or pendent, simple or forked, either sessile and terminating the stronger branchlets or borne on simple or forked peduncles. Sporophylls ephemeral, subpeltate with a thin basal decurrent wing, with or without a basal mucilage cavity, or peltate or paleate. Sporangia on sporophyll base (rarely axillary), reniform, with short, thick stalk, isovalvate to slightly anisovalvate, epidermal cells with thin, lignified, sinuate anticlinal walls without partial thickenings. Spores reticulate, baculate or scabrate. Gametophytes carrot-shaped or obconic to convoluted disc-shaped, subterranean, holomycotrophic, without pluricellular uniseriate hairs among gametangia.
Lycopodium Linnaeus 1753A61
|--L. subg. Cernuostachys Herter 1909H16
| `--L. cernuum Linnaeus 1753H16, I88 (see below for synonymy)
| |--L. c. f. cernuumH16
| `--L. c. f. ramosissima Herter 1916H16
|--L. subg. Clavatostachys Herter 1909H16
| `--L. clavatum Linnaeus 1753H16, I88 (see below for synonymy)
|--L. subg. Inundatostachys Herter 1909H16
| `--L. carolinianum Linnaeus 1763H16
`--L. subg. Urostachys Herter 1909H16
|--L. sect. Carinaturus Herter 1916H16
| |--L. billardieri Spring 1843H16, A61 (see below for synonymy)
| |--L. carinatum Desv. 1823H16
| `--L. dalhousieanum Spring 1849H16
|--L. sect. Linifoliurus Herter 1909H16
| `--L. bolanicum Rosenstock in Fedde 1913H16
|--L. sect. PhlegmariurusH16
|--L. sect. Selagurus Herter 1909H16
| `--L. serratum Thunberg 1784H16 [=Urostachys serratus (Thunberg) Hert. 1923I88]
`--L. sect. Tenuistachys Herter 1909H16
`--L. verticillatum L. f. 1781H16
|--L. v. var. verticillatumH16
`--L. v. var. maxima Herter 1916H16
Lycopodium incertae sedis:
L. apiculatumH16
L. appressumFHH01
L. arbusculaBS-V28
L. australianum (Herter) Allan 1961A61 [=Urostachys australianus Herter 1909A61, Huperzia australianaH90]
L. canaliculatumBS-V28
L. cochinchinenseA61
L. complanatumP88
L. confertumM03
L. crassumR96
L. diffusum Br. 1810A61
L. filiformeH16
L. hamiltonii Spr. 1828 (see below for synonymy)I88
L. herterianum Kümm. 1928 (see below for synonymy)I88
L. heteroclitumBS-V28
L. hippurideumJ87
L. hippurisH16
L. jungermannoidesBS-V28
L. lucidulumMS98
L. magellanicum Swartz 1806A61
L. marianumBS-V28
L. mirabileBS-V28
L. myrtifolium [=Huperzia myrtifolia]H90
L. novae-zelandicum Colenso 1887A61
L. obscurumMS98
L. phyllanthumH16
L. pithodesJ87
L. pulcherrimum Wallich ex Hooker & Greville 1827 (see below for synonymy)I88
L. quadrisoriatum Bory de Saint-Vincent 1828 [=L. quadriforiatum]BS-V28
L. reflexumJ87
L. repens [incl. L. affine]BS-V28
L. saururus Lam. 1789A61
L. skutchiiJ87
L. subulifolium Wallich ex Hooker & Greville 1827 (see below for synonymy)I88
L. taxifoliumJ87
L. veitchii Christ 1906I88
L. venustulumBS-V28
L. vrieseanumH16
L. sect. DiphasiumC06
|--L. scariosum Forst. f. 1786C06, A61 [incl. L. distans Col. 1888A61, L. lessonianum Rich. 1832A61]
`--L. volubile Forst. f. 1786C06, A61 (see below for synonymy)
L. sect. LepidotisC06
|--L. deuterodensum Herter 1949 [incl. L. densum Labill. 1806 non Lam. 1778]A61
|--L. fastigiatum Br. 1810C06, A61 (see below for synonymy)
| |--L. f. var. fastigiatumA61
| `--L. f. var. colensoiA61
|--L. laterale Br. 1810C06, A61 [incl. L. consimile Col. 1884A61]
|--L. ramulosum Kirk 1879C06, A61
|--L. serpentinum Kunze in Lehm. 1846 (see below for synonymy)A61
`--L. varium Br. 1810C06, A61 (see below for synonymy)
L. (sect. Selago) selago Linnaeus 1753C06, I88 [=Urostachys selago (Linnaeus) Hert. 1923I88]
|--L. s. var. selagoBS-V28
`--L. s. var. saururoidesBS-V28
Lycopodium billardieri Spring 1843H16, A61 [=L. varium var. billardieri (Spring) Kirk 1884A61; incl. L. flagellaria Rich. 1832 non Bory in Duperrey 1829A61, L. phlegmaria Cunn. 1837 non Linnaeus 1753A61]
Lycopodium cernuum Linnaeus 1753H16, I88 [incl. L. convolutumH16, L. cernuum var. curvatum Sw. 1806A61, L. polycephalum Col. 1885A61, L. cernuum var. vulcanicum Blume 1830A61]
Lycopodium clavatum Linnaeus 1753H16, I88 [incl. L. divaricatum Wallich ex Greville & Hooker in Hooker 1831I88, L. japonicum Thunberg 1784I88, L. clavatum var. wallichianum Spring 1842I88]
Lycopodium fastigiatum Br. 1810C06, A61 [=L. clavatum var. fastigiatum (Br.) Benth. 1878A61; incl. L. fastigiatum var. berggreniiA61, L. curvifolium Col. 1888A61, L. decurrens Col. 1896A61, L. clavatum var. magellanicum Hook. f. 1844 non Swartz 1806A61, L. scopulosum Col. 1888A61]
Lycopodium hamiltonii Spr. 1828 [=L. obtusifolium Hamilton ex Don 1825 non Swartz 1806, Urostachys hamiltonii (Spr.) Hert. ex Nessel 1939]I88
Lycopodium herterianum Kümm. 1928 [=L. sikkimense Hert. 1909 non Müller 1861, Urostachys herterianus (Kümm.) Hert. 1949, U. sikkimensis (Hert.) Hert. ex Nessel 1939]I88
Lycopodium pulcherrimum Wallich ex Hooker & Greville 1827 [=Lycopodium setaceum var. pulcherrimum (Wallich) Clarke 1880, Urostachys pulcherrimus (Wallich) Hert. 1949; incl. L. setaceum Hamilton ex Don 1825 non de Lamarck 1789]I88
Lycopodium serpentinum Kunze in Lehm. 1846 [incl. L. carolinianum Hook. 1855 non Linnaeus 1763, L. drummondii Spring 1848]A61
Lycopodium subulifolium Wallich ex Hooker & Greville 1827 [=L. setaceum var. subulifolium Wallich apud Clarke 1880, Urostachys subulifolius (Wallich) Hart. 1949]I88
Lycopodium varium Br. 1810C06, A61 [=L. billardieri var. variumSS92, Urostachys varius (Br.) Herter 1909A61; incl. U. cockaynei (Benth.) Hert. Benth. & Muell. 1878A61, Lycopodium varium var. gracile Kirk 1884A61, U. helmii Nessel 1934A61, L. varium var. polaris Kirk 1884A61, U. varius var. polaris (Kirk) Herter 1909A61, U. varius var. umbrosusA61]
Lycopodium volubile Forst. f. 1786C06, A61 [incl. L. durvillei Rich. 1832 non Bory in Duperry 1829A61, L. volubile var. durvillaeiA61]
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[A61] Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand vol. 1. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledones. R. E. Owen, Government Printer: Wellington (New Zealand).
[BS-V28] Bory de Saint-Vincent, J. B. 1828. Voyage Autour du Monde, Exécuté par Ordre du Roi, Sur la Corvette de Sa Majesté, La Coquille, pendant les années 1822, 1823, 1824 et 1825. Botanique. Cryptogamie. Arthus Bertrand: Paris.
[C06] Cheeseman, T. F. 1906. Manual of the New Zealand Flora. John Mackay, Government Printer: Wellington.
[FHH01] Frey, W., M. Hofmann & H. H. Hilger. 2001. The gametophyte-sporophyte junction: unequivocal hints for two evolutionary lines of archegoniate land plants. Flora 196: 431–445.
[H90] Harden, G. J. (ed.) 1990. Flora of New South Wales vol. 1. New South Wales University Press.
[H16] Herter, W. 1916. Die Lycopodien von Deutsch-Neu-Guinea. Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 54: 226–238.
[I88] Iwatsuki, K. 1988. An enumeration of the pteridophytes of Nepal. In: Ohba, H., & S. B. Malla (eds) The Himalayan Plants vol. 1. The University Museum, University of Tokyo, Bulletin 31: 231–339.
[J87] Judd, W. S. 1987. Floristic study of Morne La Visite and Pic Macaya National Parks, Haiti. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum—Biological Sciences 32 (1): 1–136.
[M03] Macloskie, G. 1903. Pteridophyta, ferns and fernlike plants. In: Scott, W. B. (ed.) Reports of the Princeton University Expeditions to Patagonia, 1896–1899 vol. 8. Botany pp. 127–138. The University: Princeton (New Jersey).
[MS98] Margulis, L., & K. V. Schwartz. 1998. Five Kingdoms: An Illustrated Guide to the Phyla of Life on Earth 3rd ed. W. H. Freeman and Company: New York.
[P88] Polunin, I. 1988. Plants and Flowers of Malaysia. Times Editions: Singapore.
[R96] Righi, G. 1996. Colombian earthworms. Studies on Tropical Andean Ecosystems 4: 485–607.
[SS92] Selkirk, P. M., & R. D. Seppelt. 1992. Lycopodium australianum (Herter) Allan on subantarctic Macquarie Island. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 113: 185–191.