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Diphasiastrum complanatum - (image 1 of 5)

Taxonomy

Family: Lycopodiaceae

Habitat

Acid soil in woods and on rocky slopes.

Associates

Distribution

Circumboreal, south in North America to northern New England, north central NY, northern MI, northern WI, northern MN, ID, and WA.

Morphology

Low evergreen from horizontal stems on the surface or just below soil level. Upright shoots, flattened, irregularly branched, without annual constrictions. Leaves green, shiny, 4-ranked, upper leaves appressed, lateral leaves partially free with a spreading or incurved tip. Strobili 1-2(-4), up to 3.2 cm long, terminal, blunt at the apex, sterile tips lacking; stalks forked at uniform distances.

Notes

Spores produced August to September

Wetland indicator: FAC

Diphasiastrum digitatum was once considered a variety of this species and lacks the annual constrictions on the branchlets.   

References

Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY.

USDA, NRCS. 2002. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov).

National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Wagner, W.H. Jr. and Beitel, J.M. 1993. Lycopodiaceae. In: Flora of North America North of Mexico, Vol. 2.

Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford.

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