Palhinhaea cerrojefensis B. Øllg., 2016

Øllgaard, Benjamin, 2016, New neotropical Lycopodiaceae, Phytotaxa 277 (3), pp. 266-274 : 266-267

Palhinhaea cerrojefensis B. Øllg. , sp. nov. — Fig. 1

Vigorous, rigidly erect plants, to 2 m tall, with leaves usually closely appressed in the lower part of the aerial main stem, in the upper part curved to involute from an appressed leaf base. Branchlet leaves falcately curved to involute, with glabrous to densely hairy leaf bases.

Type: — PANAMÁ: Panamá: La cima del Cerro Jefe , 900 m, 25 August 1972, Correa, M.D., Dressler, R.L., Escobar, N. & Carrasquill, L. 1796 (holotype MO , isotype F ).

Rigidly erect plants with at least to 2 m tall, self-supporting, aerial shoots. Erect main axes with several to numerous, opposite to subdecussate, usually stiffly spreading, highly compound, to at least 20 cm long lateral branchlet systems. Main aerial stems 4–5 mm thick excluding leaves, the leaves appressed in the lower part of the stem, upward gradually becoming somewhat involute from an appressed leaf base. Stem surface and especially the decurrent leaf bases sparsely to densely covered with simple and branched, irregularly curled hairs. Basal divisions of lateral branchlet systems 4–6 mm in diameter including leaves, gradually tapering to (2–) 3 mm in ultimate branchlets. Ultimate branchlets rigidly diverging, straight to short-recurved apically. Leaves of ultimate branchlets densely crowded, usually borne in somewhat irregular alternating whorls of 4–5, these ca. 1 mm or less apart, forming 8–10 longitudinal ranks, 2–3 × 0.3–0.5 mm, subterete or quadrangular at base (dried), apically flattened, acicular, falcately curved to involute, the leaf bases glabrous to densely hairy. Strobili nodding to pendent, to 8 mm long, 2–3 mm in diameter including sporophylls. Sporophylls borne in alternating whorls of 4, forming 8 longitudinal ranks, with deltoid-cuspidate, 1(–1.5) mm long, ca. 0.5 mm wide exterior face, with densely fimbriate-laciniate margins. Sporangia subglobose, ca. 0.5 mm wide.

Distribution:— Panamá, apparently a narrow endemic for Cerro Jefe.

Habitats:—This species is a pioneer of road banks and corresponding disturbed habitats in lower montane rain forest. Weston L. Testo informs me that he has seen it in situ, and that it co-occurs with Palhinhaea cernua ( Linnaeus 1753: 1103) Vasconcellos & Franco (1967: 25) and is morphologically distinct when the two grow together.

Notes:—The material used for this description does not include the basal, horizontally arching and rooting shoots. This species resembles Palhinhaea pseudocurvata B. Øllg. (The Guianas, Venezuela and Greater Antilles) in size and robustness, but differs in the more compact growth habit and details of leaf shape and orthostichy.

Additional specimens examined:— PANAMÁ. Panamá: Summit of Cerro Jefe and forests along road beyond summit, 26 August 1967, Hayden, S.M. V. 1009 (MO) ; Cerro Jefe , new road leading W from summit, 26 September 1975, Witherspoon, J.T. & Witherspoon, F. 8524 (MO) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Palhinhaea cerrojefensis. A. Erect aerial shoot. B. Main stem of erect aerial shoot with leaves. C. Ultimate branchlets with strobili. (Correa, Dressler, Escobar, & Carrasquill 1796, holotype MO).