Kingdom Plantae Class Lycopodiopsida Family Huperziaceae Rank Species | Division Lycopodiophyta Order Lycopodiales Genus Huperzia | |
Similar Huperzia megastachya, Huperzia porophila, Huperzia appressa, Huperzia crassa, Lycopodium scariosum | ||
Huperzia australiana is a species of small terrestrial plant, a firmoss or tassel fern, in the Lycopodiaceae (clubmoss) family. It is native to Australia and New Zealand.
Contents
Distribution and habitat
The plant occurs at sheltered sites in subalpine and subantarctic regions, in grasslands and around bogs, up to 2000 m above sea level.
Description
Huperzia australiana has decumbent stems with densely tufted, erect branches up to 300 mm long, usually branched 2 or 3 times. The leaves are crowded, appressed to spreading, 5–9 mm long, 0.5–1.5 mm wide in the middle and tapering to a point. It reproduces vegetatively through the often numerous small bulbils which form along the stem. The sporophylls are similar to the foliage leaves; no strobili are formed; the bright yellow, kidney-shaped sporangia are produced in the upper leaf axils.