Selaginella Subg. Selaginella in Flora of North America @ efloras.org

1a. Selaginella Subg. Selaginella Palisot de Beauvois

Stems radially symmetric, not articulate; creeping stems with closely spaced, dichotomous forks; upright stems unbranched; vessel elements absent. Rhizophores absent. Leaves loosely spirally arranged, monomorphic, lanceolate to lanceolate-triangular, thin, soft; margins short-spiny; stomates scattered throughout abaxial surface; axillary leaves absent. Strobili solitary, cylindric. Sporophylls loosely spirally arranged, larger and slightly different shape from vegetative leaves, most sporophylls fertile, megasporophylls and microsporophylls same size, auricles absent.

Species 2 (1 in the flora): circumboreal and Hawaii.

SELECTED REFERENCES

Karrfalt, E. E. 1981. The comparative and developmental morphology of the root system of Selaginella selaginoides (L.) Link. Amer. J. Bot. 68: 224--253. Page, C. N. 1989. Compression and slingshot megaspore ejection in Selaginella selaginoides---A new phenomenon in pteridophytes. Fern Gaz. 13: 267--275.

1 (1) Leaves on aerial stems dimorphic, arranged in 4 ranks (2 median, 2 lateral), axillary leaves present at branching points; rhizophores present. 1c. Selaginella subg. Stachygynandrum (1)

+ Leaves on aerial stems monomorphic, not in distinct ranks, axillary leaves absent at branching points; rhizophores present or absent. (2)

2 (2) Strobili cylindric; sporophylls spreading; leaves thin, soft, margins short-spiny; stomates throughout abaxial surface of leaf; rhizophores absent. 1a. Selaginella subg. Selaginella (S. selaginoides) (2)

+ Strobili quadrangular; sporophylls usually appressed; leaves thick or fleshy (seldom thin), firm, margins dentate, serrate, or ciliate (never spiny); stomates in abaxial groove; rhizophores present. 1b. Selaginella subg. Tetragonostachys (1)