Selaginella wangpeishanii
Plants epilithic, 7–12 cm long. Stems prostrate, 4–5 mm wide including microphylls, sparsely (1–3 times) dichotomously branched. Main stems branched throughout, stramineous, ca. 0.5 mm diameter in mid-portion, terete, slightly sulcate. Lateral branches 8 to 11, 1-pinnate or dichotomous, branchlets 1.0–2.5 cm apart from each other. Ultimate branches 2–3 mm wide including trophophylls. Rhizophores borne throughout and 1–4 times dichotomously branched. Trophophylls trimorphous: lateral trophophylls patent, obliquely ovate, 1.8–2.3 × 0.9–1.6 mm, rounded basally, acute or mucronate apically, margins serrulate or partially nearly entire; median trophophylls pointing upward, ovate, 0.8–1.1 mm long excluding apical arista, 0.4–0.7 mm wide, slightly cordate basally, asymmetrical, base forming small round auricle , apex with long arista of ca. 0.5 mm, margins notably serrulate or shortly ciliate; axillary trophophylls ovate to narrowly ovate, 1.0–1.3 × 0.5–0.8 mm, rounded basally, acute or more or less blunt apically, margins very sparsely serrulate or partially subentire. Strobili compact, dorsiventrally complanate, solitary or paired (forked), on terminal or lateral stems, 3.0–5.5 mm long. Sporophylls monomorphic, narrowly ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 1.2–1.5 × 0.5–0.6 mm, keeled, basally rounded, apically acuminate, margins shortly ciliate. Microphylls with very narrow, sometimes indiscernible, differentiated white margins. Spores
immature; macrospores 4 in each macrosporangium, yellowish; microspores not seen.
Selaginella wangpeishanii is similar to S. gebaueriana Handel-Mazzetti (1929: 9), but the former is far smaller and its lateral trophophylls have only serrulate margins. In addition, it bears relatively shorter strobili, some of which with unusual
development of vegetative shoots from apices.
Selaginella wangpeishanii is currently known only from Libo County in southern Guizhou, China. It is possible that this species also occurs in adjacent similar areas in southern Guizhou.
Selaginella wangpeishanii was collected from weathered crust of limestone rocks inside a limesone cave, at an elevation of ca. 670 m. The soil at the type location was of basic pH.