Questions? AskAuckland
  

NZ Plants


Lycopodium volubile - waewaekoukou, creeping clubmoss

Clubmoss family: Lycopodiaceae

Lycopodium volubile has a scrambling to climbing and wiry, many branched stem. Leaves are of two sizes and shapes. There are two lateral rows of larger, spreading, flat and sickle-shaped leaves and a dorsal and a ventral rows of smaller needle-like appressed close to the stem. The terminal cones are formed in pendulous clusters.
Found throughout New Zealand in coastal to montane areas.

 

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; spreading or appressed to the stem

Sporangium location: on upper surface of cone sporophyll

Leaf shape: lateral leaves are flat, sickle-shaped; dorsal and ventral leaves are needle-like

Sporangium position: at base of cone sporophyll

Leaf size: lateral leaves up to 50 mm; dorsal and ventral leaves up to 20 mm

Sporangia distribution: one per cone sporophyll

Leaf surface: smooth, leathery

Sporangium covering: 0