Huperzia australiana
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Lycophytes (clubmosses, selaginella, quillworts)
Flower colours
No flowers
Detailed description
Terrestrial, stiffly erect tufted plants producing 1 to many branches from near base. branches rigid, erect (rarely decumbent), undivided or branched 1–3×, 60–400 mm long, producing bulbils at intervals. Sterile leaves and sporophylls similarly densely spirally arranged, erect, imbricate, thick, ovate to lanceolate, acute 4–9 mm long, 1.0–1.5 mm wide, green to yellowish green, or tinged orange; margins entire or with few, obscure teeth at apex. Sporophylls scattered, not restricted to defined zones. Sporangia c. 1 mm long × 1.5 mm wide, obscured by sporophylls; sporangia often partially replaced by bulbils. (Description adapted from Chinnock (1998) and Brownsey & Smith-Dodsworth (2000)).
Similar taxa
Easily distinguished from all other New Zealand members of the Lycopodiaceae by the scarcely differentiated sterile leaves and fertile sporophylls, as well as the unique presence of bulbils. Sterile terrestrial forms of Phlegmariurus varius growing in peat bogs are impossible to distinguish from sterile H. australiana.
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: North Island, South Island, Stewart Island/Rakiura, Chatham Islands, Auckland Islands, Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku and Macquarie Islands. Known from the Raukumara Range southwards. Also Australia and Borneo.
Habitat
Coastal to alpine (mostly alpine in the main islands of New Zealand but descending to sea level on the Chatham and subantarctic islands) in scrub, herbfield and peat bogs.
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – these interim threat classification statuses has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2023 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Lycopodiaceae
Synonyms
Urostachys australianus (Herter) Herter ex Nessel; Urostachys cockaynei Herter ex Nessel; Lycopodium australianum Herter; Lycopodium australianum (Herter) Allan; Lycopodium selago sensu Hook.f.
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
N.A.
Fruiting
N.A.
Life cycle and dispersal
Minute spores are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Difficult—should be left in the wild.
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FACW: Facultative Wetland
Usually is a hydrophyte but occasionally found in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Where To Buy
Not commercially available.
Etymology
huperzia: Named after Johann Peter Huperz (1771-1816), an early 19th century German botanist and specialist in ferns
australiana: From the Latin australis meaning southern
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.
HUPAUS
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Brownsey PJ, Smith-Dodsworth JC. 2000. New Zealand Ferns and Allied Plants. David Bateman, Auckland, NZ. 168 p.
Chinnock RJ. 1998. Lycopodiaceae. Flora of Australia 48, Ferns Gymnosperms and allied groups: 66–85. ABRS/CSIRO Victoria, Australia.
Thorsen MJ, Dickinson KJM, Seddon PJ. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285–309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2009.06.001.
Attribution
Fact Sheet Prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 16 March 2011. Description adapted from Chinnock (1998) and Brownsey & Smith-Dodsworth (2000).
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Huperzia australiana Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/huperzia-australiana/ (Date website was queried)