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Pseudolycopodiella caroliniana — slender false bog-clubmoss

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Facts

Slender false bog-clubmoss inhabits bogs and interdunal swales from New York to Texas. The only known New England population was extirpated by a grading operation.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields, shores of rivers or lakes

New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Characteristics

Habitat
  • terrestrial
  • wetlands
New England state
Massachusetts
Leaf shape
the vegetative leaves are short and scale-like
Spore leaf arrangement
the sporophylls are located on spore cones at the tips of the shoots or branches
Form of shoot
the plant has an upright stem, but no branches
Horizontal stem
the horizontal stem is on the surface of the ground
Leaf differences
the vegetative leaves within a node differ in size and shape
Teeth on leaf edges
the edges of the vegetative leaves have no teeth
Spore leaf length
2.8–3.3 mm
Leaf outline
the vegetative leaves are long and very narrow (linear)
Show all characteristics

  • Clonal plantlets

    Gemma arrangement
    NA
    Gemma shape
    NA
    Gemma width
    0 mm

  • Leaves

    Leaf differences
    the vegetative leaves within a node differ in size and shape
    Leaf length
    2–6 mm
    Leaf orientation
    • the vegetative leaves are pressed against the stem
    • the vegetative leaves spread away from the stem
    Leaf outline
    the vegetative leaves are long and very narrow (linear)
    Leaf ranks
    NA
    Leaf shape
    the vegetative leaves are short and scale-like
    Spore leaf length
    2.8–3.3 mm
    Teeth on leaf edges
    the edges of the vegetative leaves have no teeth

  • Place

    Habitat
    • terrestrial
    • wetlands
    New England state
    Massachusetts
    Specific habitat
    • man-made or disturbed habitats
    • meadows or fields
    • shores of rivers or lakes

  • Spores or spore cones

    Cone base at stem
    • the base of the spore-cone does not have a distinct stalk
    • the base of the spore-cone has a distinct stalk
    Cone stalk branching
    the stalks bearing the spore cones are unbranched
    Cone thickness
    0.9–3 mm
    Cone width
    3–5 mm
    Length of cone
    9–30 mm
    Number of cones
    1
    Quillwort itssue covering spores
    NA
    Same or different spores
    there is only one type of spore present
    Spore diameter
    Up to 0.05
    Spore leaf arrangement
    the sporophylls are located on spore cones at the tips of the shoots or branches
    Spore leaf lifespan
    the sporophylls wither and fall off at the end of the growing season
    Spore leaf orientation
    the sporophylls are pressed against the spore cone
    Spore leaf shape
    the spore-bearing leaves are small and scale-like
    Spore leaf teeth
    The edges of the spore-bearing leaves are smooth, and without teeth
    Spore texture
    the spore surface has an irregular pattern of ridges and empty spaces (rugulate), or it has minute pits on it (foveolate)
    Sporophyll ranks
    • the sporophylls come off the cone at many different angles (5 or more ranks)
    • the sporophylls line up to form an X (4 ranks of leaves)
    Sterile tip of cone
    the spore cone does not have a slender, sterile tip (the whole cone produces spores)

  • Stem, shoot, branch

    Branch cross-section
    the outermost level of branches are round, elliptic or semicircular in cross-section
    Branch form
    the main stem has no branches
    Constriction zones
    • there are no constrictions on the horizontal stem with smaller leaves
    • there are no constrictions on the vertical stem with smaller leaves
    Form of shoot
    the plant has an upright stem, but no branches
    Horizontal stem
    the horizontal stem is on the surface of the ground
    Horizontal stem length
    40–85 mm
    Horizontal stem thickness
    0.6–1 mm
    Stem height
    50–150 mm

Wetland status

Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally in non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACW)

In New England

Distribution

Connecticut
absent
Maine
absent
Massachusetts
present
New Hampshire
absent
Rhode Island
absent
Vermont
absent

Conservation status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

Massachusetts
extirpated (S-rank: SX), H (code: H)

From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key

1.  Pseudolycopodiella caroliniana (L.) Holub NC

slender false bog-clubmoss. Lycopodiella caroliniana (L.) Pichi-Sermolli; Lycopodium carolinianum L. • MA; known only from Hampshire County, MA. Hydric, often sandy, soils 
of meadows, ditches, and shores. New England’s single occurrence of this species was extirpated by extensive grading of the site.

Native to North America?

Yes

Sometimes confused with

Lycopodiella inundata:
sporophylls green, superficially similar in morphology to the trophophylls, and trophophylls of upright shoots abundant, those of the horizontal shoots monomorphic (vs. P. caroliniana, with sporophylls stramineus, differentiated from the trophophylls, and trophophylls of upright shoots sparse, those of the horizontal shoots dimorphic).

Synonyms

  • Lycopodiella caroliniana (L.) Pichi-Sermolli
  • Lycopodium carolinianum L.

Family

Lycopodiaceae

Genus

Pseudolycopodiella