Selaginella commutata

Plants terrestrial, evergreen, erect, suberect, or ascending from decumbent base, (20-)30-40 cm, without creeping rhizomes or stolons. Rhizophores restricted to lower part of stem or up to middle of main stem. Main stems branched from lower part or middle upward, stramineous, unbranched main stem 5-10 cm tall, 2-3 mm in diam. in lower part, flattened or terete, sulcate, glabrous; primary leafy branches 3-5 pairs, once or twice pinnately branched, secondary branches forked or once pinnately branched, branchlets sparse, adjacent primary branches on main stem 4-8.5 cm apart; leafy portion of main stem including leaves 11-13 mm wide at middle, ultimate branches 5-9 mm wide including leaves. Axillary leaves on branches symmetrical, ovate, 3-3.4 × 1.8-2.2 mm, base exauriculate, margin densely and regularly denticulate. Dorsal leaves on branches contiguous to imbricate, broadly ovate-orbicular or rhomboid-ovate, 2.2-2.6 × 1.3-2 mm, not carinate or slightly carinate, base cordate, margin denticulate in upper portion, elsewhere entire or subentire, apex aristate, apical arista curved, 1.2-2.2(-2.6) mm. Ventral leaves on branches spreading or slightly ascending, oblong-ovate or oblong, 4-5.6 × 2-2.8 mm, apex acute or obtuse; basiscopic margin subentire, slightly denticulate at base; acroscopic base rounded, strongly overlapping stem and branches, margin denticulate. Strobili solitary or in pairs, terminal, compact, tetragonal, 5-17 × 2.2-3.8 mm; sporophylls uniform, not white-margined, ovate-triangular, sharply carinate, margin denticulate, apex acuminate; megasporophylls and microsporophylls at intervals (in lower side); microsporangia elliptic-oblong, relatively thick, marginal cells differentiated, smaller with thin walls; microspores pale yellow, megaspores whitish, reticulate.