Back to homepage
Questions? AskAuckland
  

Please select root levels for the menu

NZ Plants

Lycopodium fastigiatum - alpine clubmoss, mountain clubmoss

Clubmoss family: Lycopodiaceae

Lycopodium fastigiatum is a terrestrial clubmoss with a creeping stem forming rigid, erect branches. Leaves are spirally arranged and are of one size and shape being narrow, inward curving and with tapering tips. Aerial shoots form erect cones at the ends of branches.
Found on the upper half of the North Island in coastal to lowland forest and scrub and on the Chatham Islands.
 

Vegetative characteristics

Fertile stem and sporangia

Plant form: terrestrial plants up to 40 cm;

Stem appearance: differentiated into terminal erect cones up to 7 cm, solitary or in groups

Leaf arrangement: singly in a spiral along the stem

Sporangium location: on upper surface of cone sporophyll

Leaf shape: linear, inward curving, pointed at tip

Sporangium position: at base of cone sporophyll

Leaf size: up to 5 mm

Sporangia distribution: one per cone sporophyll

Leaf surface: smooth, stiff

Sporangium covering: 0

Share Print Email