Lycopodium

Øllgaard, Benjamin, Kessler, Michael & Smith, Alan R., 2018, Prodromus of a fern flora for Bolivia. II. Lycopodiaceae, Phytotaxa 334 (3), pp. 255-294 : 262

Lycopodium L., Sp. Pl. 2: 1100. 1753

As defined here, in a strict sense, sporophytes of Lycopodium are terrestrial, anisotomously branched, with elongate, indeterminate, creeping, or scandent, plectostelic main stems (rhizomes), which, in a dorsolateral position, give rise to usually determinate, ascending to erect, or spreading, repeatedly dorsolaterally branched branchlet systems; roots emerging directly along the underside of main stems, with plectostelic main roots; branchlet leaves uniform, terminating in a colorless hair tip or membranous apex; strobili erect, simple or forked, borne on simple or forked peduncles or rarely sessile; sporophylls subpeltate with a thin basal decurrent wing, with a basal mucilage-bearing cavity; sporangia attached to sporophyll base, reniform, each with a short thick stalk, isovalvate, epidermal cells with thin, lignified, sinuate side walls, with numerous small in- and evaginations; spores reticulate on all faces; gametophytes subterranean, mycoparasitic; and x = 34. The generic description includes only neotropical representatives of the genus, which has probably only two species in South America. The genus occurs on all continents except Australia. There are perhaps 15 species in total.