Austrolycopodium fastigiatum
Common name
Alpine clubmoss, mountain clubmoss
Synonyms
Lycopodium fastigiatum R.Br.; Lycopodium clavatum var. fastigiatum (R.Br.) Benth.; Lycopodium curvifolium Colenso; Lycopodium decurrens Colenso; Lycopodium scopulosum Colenso; Austrolycopodium fastigiatum (R.Br.) Holub; Lycopodium arcitenentis Herter; Lycopodium cochinchense Herter ex Nessel
Family
Lycopodiaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lycophytes (clubmosses, selaginella, quillworts)
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
LYCFAS
Chromosome number
2n = 60
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: By Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley.
2012 | Not Threatened
Previous conservation statuses
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: North, South, Stewart, Chatham, Antipodes, Campbell and Auckland Islands (from Te Moehau and Mt Pirongia south). Also Australia.
Habitat
Coastal to alpine (in northern part of North Island range strictly montane) in frost flats, subalpine and geothermal scrub, alpine herbfield, grassland and peat bogs.
Features
Rhizome mostly buried, creeping, bearing scattered, appressed scale-leave. Aerial branches erect (occasionally prostrate with branchlets upturned), rigid 30-400 mm tall, much-branched. Leaves spirally arranged, imbricate, decurrent, 3-5 mm long. 0.6-1.0 mm wide, linear to linear-lanceolate, incurved, green, yellow-green or orange (especially when in exposed situations). Strobili erect, terminal, projecting above the foliage, 20-70(-100) mm long, 1-3 aggregated on a common peduncle with widely scattered appressed scale leaves. Sporophylls imbricate, peltate, lanceolate, pale to dark brown or somewhat orange, with paler membranous margins. Description adapted from Chinnock (1998) and Brownsey & Smith-Dodsworth (2000).
Similar taxa
A very distinctive species that is likely to be confused only with Pseudolycopodium densum which is a more northerly occurring species inhabiting lower altitudes and which differs from Austrolycopodium fastigiatum by the leaves of fertile aerial stems being tightly appressed, and by the sessile (i.e. without stalks) strobili.
Flowering
N.A.
Flower colours
No flowers
Fruiting
N.A.
Propagation technique
Difficult. Should not be removed from the wild
Etymology
fastigiatum: Fastigiate; from the Latin fastigium; branches lying close together, parallel and erect
Where To Buy
Not commercially available.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 20 March 2011.Description adapted from Chinnock (1998) and Brownsey & Smith-Dodsworth (2000).
References and further reading
Brownsey, P.J.; Smith-Dodsworth, J.C. 2000: New Zealand Ferns and Allied Plants. Auckland, David Bateman
Chinnock, R.J. 1998: Lycopodiaceae. Flora of Australia 48: 66-85.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Austrolycopodium fastigiatum Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/austrolycopodium-fastigiatum/ (Date website was queried)