Diphasium scariosum

Diphasium scariosum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Lycophytes
Class: Lycopodiopsida
Order: Lycopodiales
Family: Lycopodiaceae
Genus: Diphasium
Species:
D. scariosum
Binomial name
Diphasium scariosum
(G.Forster) Rothm.[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Diphasium decurrens (R.Br.) Holub
  • Lycopodium decurrens R.Br.
  • Lycopodium distans Colenso
  • Lycopodium lessonianum A.Rich.
  • Lycopodium scariosum G.Forst.
  • Stachygynandrum scariosum (G.Forster) P.Beauv.

Diphasium scariosum, synonym Lycopodium scariosum,[1] commonly known as spreading clubmoss or creeping club moss, is a species in the club moss family Lycopodiaceae. The genus Diphasium is accepted in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I),[2] but not in other classifications which submerge the genus in Lycopodium.[3]

Description

Diphasium scariosum has main stems that lie flat along the ground and which spread to more than a meter long.[4] The branchlets are 0.5 m tall, have two different surfaces and are very branched.[4][5] The leaves are dimorphic and are yellowish green.[4] The first leaf form occurs on the upper leaves of the plant, which are in two alternating rows and have been flattened into one plane.[4] The upper leaves are 3–5 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide and are oval.[4] The second leaf form are the lower leaves which are in two rows but have not been flattened into one plane.[4] These leaves are scale-like, are only 0.2 mm long and have translucent membranous dilated tips.[4][5] D. scariosum has distinctive colouring with big fluorescent spots throughout.[6] This is unusual for a club moss as not many club moss species have 5-O-glucosides of flavones, which cause these bright fluorescent spots.[6] D. scariosum has solitary erect strobili which grow 1-3 cm long.[4] The sporophylls overlap each other, are oval, straw-like, and have membranous tips.[4] Genera of the Lycopodioideae subfamily, which includes D. scariosum, differs from the Lycopodielloideae sensu genera by the presence of pedunculate strobili with modified sporophylls in them.[7]

Natural global range

Diphasium scariosum occurs naturally in the Philippines, New Guinea, Borneo, Australia, New Zealand and the Subanatarctic islands.[4][5] In New Zealand, Diphasium scariosum is found throughout the North Island but is less common in Northland.[5][8] It is also found throughout the South Island.[5][8]

Habitat

Diphasium scariosum is found in coastal to subalpine environments in mossy roadside banks, shrubland and peaty ground.[5] D. scariosum prefers well-drained clay or peaty soils.[4]

Life cycle and phenology

Diphasium scariosum is a pteridophyte.[9] When the spores are released from the sporophyll and the strobili, they can take seven or more years to turn into a gametophyte which can then survive for 10 or more years.[10] The lifecycle of a Lycopodium species can take up to 20 years to complete.[10] D. scariosum reproduces sexually in unfavourable conditions or asexually in favourable conditions.[10] When D. scariosum is not producing spores, it grows laterally along the ground.[10]

Diet and foraging

Diphasium scariosum occurs on peaty, nutrient-rich soils.[5] D. scariosum requires soils with high nutrient contents from dead organic matter but does not tolerate very wet soil.[5][11]

Predators, Parasites, and Diseases

Clubmosses are eaten by slugs and snails,[12] and is parasitised by fungi,[12] although this has not yet been documented for D. scariosum. D. scariosum was found to be infected with mycorrhizal fungi, which likely benefits the plant.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c Hassler, Michael & Schmitt, Bernd (November 2019). "Diphasium scariosum". Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World. 8.11. Archived from the original on 2017-09-02. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  2. ^ PPG I (2016). "A community-derived classification for extant lycophytes and ferns". Journal of Systematics and Evolution. 54 (6): 563–603. doi:10.1111/jse.12229. S2CID 39980610.
  3. ^ Christenhusz, Maarten J.M. & Chase, Mark W. (2014). "Trends and concepts in fern classification". Annals of Botany. 113 (9): 571–594. doi:10.1093/aob/mct299. PMC 3936591. PMID 24532607.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Chinnock, RJ (1998). "Lycopodiaceae" (PDF). Flora of Australia, Ferns, Gymnosperms and allied groups. 48: 66–85.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h De Lange, P.J. "Diphasium scariosum". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  6. ^ a b Markham, Ken R.; Moore, Noreen A.; Given, David R. (1983). "Phytochemical reappraisal of taxonomic subdivisions of Lycopodium (Pteridophyta-Lycopodiaceae) based on flavonoid glycoside distribution". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 21 (2): 113–120. doi:10.1080/0028825X.1983.10428534.
  7. ^ Field, Ashley R.; Testo, Weston; Bostock, Peter D.; Holtum, Joseph A.M.; Waycott, Michelle (2016). "Molecular phylogenetics and the morphology of the Lycopodiaceae subfamily Huperzioideae supports three genera: Huperzia, Phlegmariurus and Phylloglossum". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 94: 635–657. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.09.024.
  8. ^ a b "Creeping clubmoss, Lycopodium scariosum G.Forst (Species)". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  9. ^ Bower, F. O. (1903). "The Morphology of Spore-Producing Members". Botanical Gazette. 35 (4): 285–291. doi:10.1086/328346.
  10. ^ a b c d Nauertz, E.A; Zasada, J.C (1999). "Lycopodium: growth form, morphology, and sustainability of a non-timber forest product" (PDF). Forest Communities in the Third Millenium: Linking Research, Business, and Policy Toward a Sustainable Non-timber Forest Product Sector. USDA Forest Service Central Research Station General Technical Report NC-217: 110–115.
  11. ^ Zainorabidin, A; Wijevesekera, D.C (2008). "Geotechnical characteristics of peat" (PDF). Proceedings of the AC&T: 71–78.
  12. ^ a b Benca, Jeffrey P. (2014). "Cultivation Techniques for Terrestrial Clubmosses (Lycopodiaceae): Conservation, Research, and Horticultural Opportunities for an Early-Diverging Plant Lineage". American Fern Journal. 104 (2): 25–48. doi:10.1640/0002-8444-104.2.25.
  13. ^ Cooper, Karen M. (1976). "A field survey of mycorrhizas in New Zealand ferns". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 14 (2): 169–181. doi:10.1080/0028825X.1976.10428891.