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Selaginellaceae
Selaginellaceae
Selaginella superba Alston
Nomenclature
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Family: SelaginellaceaeGenus: Selaginella
SUMMARY
Plants terrestrial, evergreen, erect, (20-)50-70 cm, with creeping subterranean rhizome and stolons. Rhizophores restricted to base of stem or to creeping rhizomes and stolons. Main stems branched from middle upward, a few lower branches abortive, pinnately branched, stramineous, unbranched main stem 20-30 cm tall, main stem 3-5 mm in diam. at lower part, subquadrangular, sulcate, glabrous; primary leafy branches 3-7 pairs, once or twice pinnately branched, secondary branches forked, branchlets dense, adjacent primary branches on main stem 2.5-9 cm apart, leafy main stem including leaves 10-14 mm wide at middle, ultimate branches 5-8(-10) mm wide including leaves. Axillary leaves on branches symmetrical, triangular or ovate-lanceolate, 3.2-5 × 1.1-1.8(-2.3) mm, base deeply cordate or subcordate, or slightly biauriculate, margin long ciliolate at base, margin elsewhere shortly ciliolate. Dorsal leaves contiguous or imbricate, asymmetrical, ovate-elliptic, 2.2-2.8(-3.6) × 1-2 mm, strongly carinate, base obliquely cordate, with few long cilia at base, ciliolate upward, apex aristate. Ventral leaves slightly ascending, asymmetrical, oblong-falcate, 4.7-7 × 1.7-2.6 mm, apex acute; acroscopic base rounded, overlapping stem and branches, margin long ciliolate at very base, then shortly ciliolate below middle of leaf, elsewhere entire, cilia 0.2-0.5 mm. Strobili solitary or in pairs, terminal or lateral to branches, compact, tetragonal, 10-45 × 1.8-3 mm; sporophylls unlike sterile leaves, uniform, not white-margined, sharply carinate, margin denticulate, apex acuminate; megasporophylls only 1 in lower portion on lower side, elsewhere with sporophylls, microsporophylls, or megasporophylls and microsporophylls at intervals, or megasporophylls in middle on lower side; microsporangia elliptic-oblong, relatively thick, marginal cells differentiated, smaller with thin walls; microspores light pale yellow, megaspores whitish or gray.